This is my second year living in a dorm, and it has its pros and cons just like any other living arrangement does. It is definitely a great “freshman” experience, it pretty much forces you to associate and make friends with your suitemates, roommate(s), and your floor. Luckily, UCF has some of the nicest, well-kept dorms in the state so I can’t be completely greedy…we’re spoiled with weekly cleaning maintenance and I am forever thankful for them. Dorms are extremely convenient when it comes to on-campus activities such as football games, the gym, and classes (sometimes)—and hey, I haven’t had to deal with the terrible on-campus parking everyone complains about. But putting all the good things aside, I can’t deny that living in a dorm has its constant struggles that make me want to pull my hair out…on the daily.
Roommates: Face it people. If you do live in a dorm, you were dreading meeting your random roommates because of the unknown. Now—you either love or don’t associate with them at all, and if it’s an “in-between” you probably just say ‘hey’ when they pass by and go back into your hermit crab. Roomies are the daily struggle for a lot of people. Roommates can be a sticky situation and the ones that face the most heat are the people who share a room together. I’ve heard some horror stories and it’s ultimately a hit or miss deal. No one likes the girl who barges in drunk and wakes you up at 4 A.M. when you have an exam the next day, or the one who always has her boyfriend sleep over. Like? Awkward… Get a room! OH WAIT SHE CAN’T, because you share it :)) my advice to you: I was one of the lucky girls when it came to random roommates, but it’s good to find a common ground. The experience is going to be a learning one and it really does help you grow, so stay strong sista. Don’t be passive aggressive either, Tweeting and Facebooking about how big of a @#$%^ she is won’t make it better. Always hold your ground and please, don’t be that obnoxious roommate.
Bathroom Battles: No. I don’t want to wait for your 30 minute shower to be over, I have to pee now!!!! The bathroom is usually always an issue. I hate having a shower caddy. I hate wearing shower shoes because ewe, the floor. I always think how much I hate the little cubicle I shower in, my tears are stronger than the water pressure. And honestly though, the sound of the toilet could wake me in a dead sleep, they flush so loud! The best, is when all 4 of your roommates have class at the same time too!!!! (Very sarcastic) The battle for who runs in the shower first is always on. Just be grateful if you’ve never done the naked run to your room after forgetting your towel, or have been locked out of your room in nothing but your towel. This happens, I swear.
The Beds: All of my 5 foot 3 inches self-hates the twin size beds, so I can’t imagine the struggles tall girls face. I’ve adjusted, but at first, I thought I was going to fall off the bed if I turned over! Sleepovers are impossible unless you like to plank on top of your significant other while you slumber. Let’s not mention how high the beds are raised (most of us need the storage underneath.) I make a run for it to jump on, and I’ve failed before and missed the bed. You know you have too.
Walking to Class: “Walk sign is on across Gemini Boulevard 17, 16…”SHUT UP you think, as you speed to class. No matter how far away you are you will sprint across that crosswalk to get to class or your dorm, and the worst is when you have to do it in the rain. It’s just all fun and games until it rains. Walking everywhere is a big part of living on campus, sometimes it just really sucks. Nothing like leaving 30 minutes early to get to class all sweaty and flustered and looking over at the girl holding her car keys and Starbucks…ugh whatever!
Doing Laundry: Doing laundry on campus is SO dreaded. It’s inconvienent walking our laundry to the laundry rooms, to get there and wait on the girl who uses 3 washers and dryers and takes up everything. Most of the time there’s dirty socks, random thongs and Color Catchers just chillen’ on the floor. There’s the people who don’t take their laundry out until an hour after it’s done so we all have to wait on them…then we also have to pay, and those quarters add up! If you use Knight’s Cash we all know the machine’s don’t always work. Most of the time the laundry room is smelly-and as if laundry wasn’t fun enough, taking it out of the dryer to find your favorite shirt shrunk to Baby Gap size is the cherry on top.
Dorms are okay, but those are major struggles we deal with daily. We often question our dorm décor from our RA’s (gotta love them) we also secretly battle our roommates over the A.C—some like it nice and toasty, and some belong with the polar bears. We all want to hit our heads against the wall when someone’s trash stinks up the dorm or we have pointless floor meetings. Living in dorms will always be a part of our college experience, but everything after is going to be major upgrade; like you might actually live in an apartment where the whole pot fits in the sink! So keep your chins up, you’ve managed to survive on Ramon Noodles and Easy Mac—you can make it. And just know the struggle is real for all of us.