I honestly never really thought about all the luxuries I had living at home until I was forced to live in a dorm room my freshman year at college. Now, it could have been way worse, but looking back on it, I am so happy to be rid of that shoebox I was supposed to cohabit with another person. All the little things about living at home never seemed to be important because they were always there; I did not see how good I had it until I no longer had all the amazing luxuries I had grown accustomed to. Here are ten reasons why I’m glad to be out of the dorms:
1. The room was extremely small
It was almost impossible to walk around the room because between the two beds, desks and chairs, closets and the mini fridge, it was about a five-step radius from the door to the window. Not to mention this microscopic room was meant for two people to live in peacefully.
2. You have zero personal space
Where the hell are you supposed to have a private phone call? The answer is you don’t get much privacy when you live in a dorm because you do not have barely any personal space. There is nowhere for you to be alone to just have quiet; there is always another person around watching you.
3. It was never quiet
After a long day of class, what are you going to do? Are you going to curl up in your bed and take a nap? If you thought the answer to this question was yes, you’d better think again if you’re living in a dorm. There is no quiet ever. There are always people yelling, screaming, playing music and slamming their doors, so you can pretty much kiss napping, getting to bed early or sleeping late goodbye. In fact, just cross sleep off your list of things to do because it will never get done.
4. You have to wear shower shoes
How are you supposed to wash your feet if you are wearing shoes in the shower? I’m sure by now you know the answer to this question. You just don’t wash them thoroughly at all or you get to constantly live in fear that the one time you didn’t wear your shower shoes you just so happened to contract a disgusting, untreatable foot fungus.
5. You can never find anything in your room
Because the room is so small, there is no place for all your things to go, so everything gets randomly shoved into drawers and under beds – you have to make space so you can walk from the door to your bed. Once your favorite t-shirt is pushed under the bed all the way to the back, you can pretty much kiss it goodbye.
6. It’s never clean
You can try to vacuum or sweep, but you are never going to want to walk on the floor without at least wearing a pair of socks. The layer of filth that accumulates on the floor every day is truly remarkable. It doesn’t matter how many times a week you take the miniature trash can out, it will be full before you know it, overflowing and creating an amazing “natural” scent that is sure to not be a bother at all.
7. I needed to use a step stool to get into my bed
I mean, I am pretty short, so I was not surprised to have to use a step stool to get into my half-lofted bed, but the number of times I missed the stool or still was unsuccessful in getting into bed was a comical amount. If you are coming back from a fun Thursday night, or even just a late-night bathroom run, chances are you’ll need to attempt to get into bed more than once.
8. You have to share a bathroom with too many people
After a long day, all you want is to take a nice hot shower. Unfortunately, there are many barriers in a dorm that get in the way of your favorite evening routine. There is a line to shower, the water is cold and you have to walk down the hall, which wouldn’t be so bad except you end up dropping your shampoo bottle on your foot, making the entire experience not even worth it anymore.
9. There is no central air
At the beginning of the school year, it is so hot in your room — even when you have the tiny window air conditioner set on high at the lowest possible temperature. You come back to your dorm feeling exhausted, but instead of having a refreshing place to lay down, it is too unbearably hot to even bother going home. Or in the winter when you come in from walking in a blizzard, no matter how high you have the heat turned up, you will be sleeping in pants, a sweatshirt and two pairs of socks just to make it through the night. Even then, you will wake up with your nose running.
10. You can’t cook
The dining hall food tastes like crap. Not to mention, the number of options is limited, especially after so many months. It would be so easy to go make some scrambled eggs if only you had somewhere to make them. Ramen noodles and mac n’ cheese become a regular part of your diet. The unhealthy meals you used to enjoy every once in a while at home become their own food group, and after a while- like the dining hall food- they just become unappetizing and repetitive.
To all you incoming freshmen, appreciate your precious homes because very soon you will be living in a small, smelly and loud hot box with another person. But in all seriousness, also enjoy your time living in the dorms because it’s usually- hopefully- not something you will do more than once. Decorate, make the room unique and keep a tally of the number of times you are woken up at night from the fire alarm going off because when that happens usually there are some interesting stories to tell.