As my sophomore year of college is coming to an end, so is the time I’ve spent living in my dorm room. College dorm life is anything but luxurious, but if you do it the right way, you will grow to love your room and the memories you make while living on-campus. I have now spent three eventful semesters residing in UMass’s infamous Southwest, and I feel it is my duty to share the top three lessons I have learned from living in a dorm.
- The walls are thin
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As you enter the dorm hallway at any college, you will be met with a number of rooms squeezed into the smallest space possible. Living directly next to people with only a thin wall separating the two rooms, you are bound to experience some unwanted noise at the absolute worst times (often while trying to sleep). I would say I definitely got used to the noise, however, there are several ways to combat this—my favorite one being white noise. An easy way to drown out any irritating sounds while trying to sleep is by downloading a white noise app. Not only does it blanket any outside sounds, but the deep, steady white noise calms me and helps me fall asleep. Another recommendation I have to deal with the thin walls of your dorm room is investing in a good pair of earbuds or headphones—preferably noise-canceling. These can be useful while doing homework in your room, as living right across from the bathroom where there is loud music being played by people in the shower often made it hard for me to get work done.
- Slippers are your best friend
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The next pro-tip I have is to bring slippers—something you will wear all day, every day (while in your dorm at least). Although every dorm room is different, my floor this year was tile, which is not the most pleasant surface to walk on barefoot during the freezing New England winter. Slippers are a necessity for quick trips to the bathroom and laundry room, or for any occasion that you are too lazy to put real shoes on. I ordered a pair of pink fluffy slippers on Amazon, which come in many different colors and have comfortably lasted me all year.
- Don’t be afraid to meet people
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Last but not least, living in the dorms has to be one of the best ways to meet people in college. I highly recommend joining any dorm group chats, as it is an easy way to connect with the people you’ll be living close to for the rest of the school year. I came to UMass as an out-of-state student not knowing anyone, but I met some of my best friends from my dorm group chat freshman year. Overall, don’t be afraid to reach out to new people and ask them to get lunch—if you’re like me, you may meet some of your best friends this way. Most of all, every other new student is just as nervous as you, and people really appreciate it if you are friendly and make an effort to get to know them.
As I say a bittersweet goodbye to my UMass dorm room, I look back on all the great memories I have made and the people I have met while living on-campus. I hope these tips are helpful for both new and current college students, and most importantly—get fluffy slippers.
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