Articles of the Month

Living the Dorm Life

Residence! Does this word scare you? How about roommates? For some college students these two words bring anxiety. This article hopefully will help students become comfortable with the university experience with a few tips from some students who have already lived the dorm life.

When I first arrived at my dorm, everyone was extremely friendly. I had notices on my door welcoming me to the house, pictures, and even a small gift from my residence supervisor. I felt so welcome . . . then I opened the door to my dorm. It seemed like it was a small cement holding cell at a local prison. I decided to take thing into my own hands and decorate! Best decoration tip I can tell you is: MINI LIGHTS!!!! They look awesome in small spaces! Buy them at a local dollar store. They work just as good and there half the price.

Next problem I ran into was the dreaded roommate! The best advice I was given was, "Your roommate does not have to be your best friend." Having a roommate is like any relationship, and you have to be willing to compromise. Be sure you keep lines of communication open. If you have a problem with loud music, or you like to stay up late, be sure you tell your roommate you can talk about any problems right away.

Use your residence advisor. If you have a problem with a roommate, dorm mates, or even personal problems that's what their there for. They are trained to deal with situations, which are known to arise. A good conflict solver is signing a room contract. Both parties sign this, and it outlines what is and is not aloud in the room. If the contract is broken, then the residence advisor will take disciplinary action.

Another uh-oh I ran into in residence was laundry. All residences have laundry rooms but most of them only are equipped with a few COIN OPERATED machines. Make sure to change a bill at the first of the year and keep this change in your room for laundry purposes only. Also be careful when you do your laundry. You don't want to have your clothes all washed only to find out the dryers are all taken. I found the best time to take advantage of laundry services was during the afternoon. Never leave your basket or soap in the laundry room unattended. That's a great way for someone to save a few bucks and cost you a fortune!

Last but not least in a dorm you're going to have a community washroom! These bathrooms contrary to beliefs are cleaned every day. However, you will want to purchase a few materials like a bathrobe, a basket with shampoo, soap, toothbrush, etc in it, and even some shower shoes! Never go in the showers barefoot! It's just gross!

Well guys, I hope this has answered some of your questions! Enjoy the dorm life!