As senior year spring semester, the final semester at TCNJ gets underway, those of us who are graduating will have much to reflect on and remember from the time we’ve spent here.
One thing I can safely say only a few people can reflect on is spending all 4 years of their college careers living in a freshman dorm.
No, that wasn’t a mistake and no, it wasn’t some inexplicable anomaly. I became a CA, or RA as most other schools call them, my sophomore year and have been working for my school’s ResEd department ever since.
My placement for the past three years has been in the freshman residence halls and I’ve learned just how much your living environment has an impact on you.
Here are some things I’ve learned over the last 4 years.
1. The importance of taking ownership of your surroundings
A lot of times, if something is broken, or dirty, or in bad condition in some other way, particularly in common areas, no one will put in a work order or report it to get it fixed or cleaned. I think freshmen especially fail to take ownership of their surroundings, mostly because their buildings have a lot of common spaces that everyone shares. If everyone came in with that mindset that it’s not their responsibility to take ownership of what’s around them, everything would simply fall apart.
2. Every minute of privacy is valuable
Unless you live in a single, which are limited in freshman dorms, there are few opportunities to have a private space for yourself. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a single ever since I became an RA, but I still sense the feeling of someone always being around and a lack of private space. I’ve learned from this that wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, always create a private space that is only available to you. If you can’t get it in a resident hall, you can try finding it outside, like by the lake or in the gym, with your earphones plugged in.
3. You never live in a bubble when you’re in a freshman residence hall
The walls are thin, and people sometimes keep their doors open, which means you can hear everything that is going on, whether its a simple conversation, music, the vacuum running, or if you have exceptional hearing, your neighbor’s typing. But, freshmen rarely consider how much of their activity the people around them can hear, and if they do know it, they rarely alter their behavior (or volume) in return. Wherever you live, whether it is in a freshman dorm, apartment style living, or even a house, it is important to respect the fact that you affect the people you live with.