Hey guys! It has been a few months since my last blog post, this semester has been crazy busy for everyone I am sure. With so many high school seniors deciding to come to Oswego in the fall, I thought this would be the perfect time to write a blog about living in the dorms. Living in the dorms is a chapter in your college career that you will always cherish, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time. There are many pluses to living in the dorms, but it definitely isn’t all fun and games all of the time. You meet some of your best friends living in the dorms, learn how to take care of yourself, learn to live with another person (friend or stranger) and so much more. If you are nervous about living in a room with another person (for possibly the first time in your life), being away from your home, and all of the natural feelings that come with starting college, then you should find these tips extremely helpful!
1. Don’t be closed minded (and don’t keep your door closed!)
During the first few months of college, you will meet so many people you won’t be able to keep track. You will think you found your best friends, and the next thing you know you meet more people and suddenly you don’t know how you lived 18 years without them. When living in the dorms, most times the first friends you meet are the people on your floor. With that being said, during the day when you are just hanging out in your room, keep your door open! You might not believe me now, but I met all of my best friends living in the dorms, and many of them introduced themselves to me by simply walking past my door and saying hi. You will meet so many people this way, so like I said, keep your door open!!
2. Lock your door when you are sleeping or not home!
Following my first tip of keeping your door open, make sure you only do that when you are actually in your room. You might become best friends with everyone who lives on your floor and think that no one would steal from you. That is not the case. During my two years living in the dorms, I heard countless stories of people getting their things stolen right out of their rooms. This isn’t anything you should be scared about or worry about too much, it is 100% preventable if you just lock your door when you aren’t home!
3. You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate!
We all go into college thinking that our roommate is going to be our best friend. And for many people, that is the case! But for some, like me, it does not work out the way that you hoped. My roommate transferred the third week of college, and I had three roommates my freshman year because of it. But it didn’t even come close to ruining my college experience! If the same thing happens to you, or you and your roommate just gravitate towards different friends, it is okay! Don’t let it get you down, I made other friends and I promise that you will too.
4. Some days you are going to miss home
Living in the dorms, being surrounded by your friends, and making your own decisions for the first time is a great feeling. But some days you are going to miss home, and that’s normal! It may seem like it is years and years away, but graduation comes faster than you think. The semesters and your college years will fly by, so enjoy the time that you have now. When you miss home, call a parent or a friend! Ask if someone from home would be willing to come see you for a day or a weekend, or even ask for some homemade cookies to be sent to the dorms for you to share with your friends. Even just talking to someone from home will make you feel a little bit better.
5. Don’t wish it all away
When living in the dorms, sometimes you will find yourself wishing for the day you will move off campus with your friends, graduate college, or even move home and commute to school. Don’t do this!!! Even if you do decide to transfer, commute, or move off campus, I promise you will miss living in the dorms (even if its just a little). So don’t wish it away! The time will come when you move out of the dorms for good, and even if it wasn’t your favorite thing in the world, you will still miss at least one thing about it. Enjoy it while it lasts!
I hope you all found this helpful! 🙂 Good luck and remember, it all goes by so much fast than you think. ENJOY IT!! 🙂