Moving into res and living on or around campus is part of the overall first year experience, and it definitely teaches you a lot. Without realizing it, living alone is a class all on its own. With trial and error, you eventually figure it out, and by the end, there are many lessons learned.
Food gets moldy, and it gets moldy fast.
Checking expiry dates and looking at food before you eat it is probably a good idea! Food gets moldy before your eyes, and goes bad faster than ever expected! Look before you eat friends, chunky milk does not taste so good.
Do your dishes ASAP.
Not having a dishwasher was a TOTAL eye opener. Doing dishes as soon as you’re done with them is a must. This avoids traffic in the sink, and keeps you and your roommates happy. It’s really hard to eat without any clean plates.
Doing laundry is a pain in the ass.
In res, not having a laundry machine on your floor is usually the case. It is a huge process, and having to carry everything with you is definitely a work out.I will always need my mom’s help, no matter what I say.
There are so many things that you forget how to do, or don’t know how to do because someone was always doing it for you! No matter how fast I think I’m growing up, my mom still manages to have the answer and solution to everything, especially when it comes to defrosting food last minute.
I’m more of a neat freak than I ever knew.
Keeping my room clean and organized became a number one priority! It’s hard to do things and be productive with a messy room, so going crazy over it being clean became very real.
Claustrophobia is a REAL thing.
Res rooms are not known to be the biggest rooms! It gets very squishy and overwhelming sometimes, especially when you realize how small of a space you’re really in.
I’m basically a chef.
Cooking is a lot of fun, especially when you try new things out. Cooking for myself and with my roommates allowed me to branch out and learn a lot of new things and recipes, and now I’m basically Gordon Ramsay.Having a little alone time is necessary from time to time.
There is always something going on in res, and if you don’t want to be alone, you never have to be. Sometimes though, wanting alone time will happen; you won’t be in the mood for people, and that’s totally okay. The chill will always be there.
Time management is a great skill to have.
Being in charge of yourself and making sure you aren’t late to classes or meetings, making time for food and laundry and everything else you have going on is a struggle! Learning how to manage my time was a really important trick I learned this year, and I made sure I did everything I needed to when I needed to.
I’m all grown up now.
As scary as it is, living away from home really gives you a boost on the growing up ladder. Becoming more independent was all a part of the process, and it is definitely a good feeling.
Res was definitely an interesting and amazing experience, and it is one that I will remember forever. The things you experience in res and the people you meet shape your university career. As much as I hated it at times, res will be missed, but the memories and lessons learned will be there forever.