Words by Hannah Angelique Bacani
Ahh, college. The sweet sound of independence mashed with the fast-paced tune of adult-ing. Studying in college is already a pain, no matter how much you love your degree program, what with the number of sleepless nights and the cups of coffee flowing in your bloodstream. But if you’ve ever had to move out the comforts of your home and live in a dorm for college, you know the struggle doesn’t end in the piled up requirements and deadlines. Because while living on your own gives you a sense of independence and control over your time, sometimes, it just adds to the stress.
Here are ten things you could relate to if you ever lived in a college dorm.
10. Locked out? Call thy roommate.
First rule of living in the dorm: NEVER FORGET YOUR KEYS! Unless you have the best roommate ever that you can call to rescue you.
9. The Horrors of Communal Bathrooms
Some dormers are lucky to have bathrooms in every room. Others, not so much. And if you ever had to live in a dorm with bathrooms you have to share with a million other people in your floor, OH MY HEART GOES TO YOU for all the clogged sinks, unflushed toilets, and other unspeakable things you’ve had to brave.
8. In cleanliness and in mess, ’til the dorm contract do us part
Speaking of disgusting things, sharing a space with other people means getting to know your roommates to the core–filthy habits and all. From having an unmade bed to leaving unwashed dishes in the sink for a week, some roommates can be total slobs, but sometimes you love them enough to stay. Other times, you just can’t wait to leave or find a new roomie. Yikes.
7. Things can get pretty trashy.
I swear, nobody takes out the trash. It could pile up with scratch papers and takeout boxes but no one will ever take it out. Unless your roommate’s mom comes to visit. And I bet you can count in one hand the number of times you swept the floor for the whole semester.
6. Stairway to hell
Moving in your stuff to your dorm room is one thing. But moving them into the second/third/fourth floor of your dorm is just plain torture. And while living on the upper floors could be a great exercise, it’s a major disadvantage when you’re running late or when you forgot something.
5. Double deck struggles
The first thing you’d probably miss when you live in the dorms is your own comfy bed. Most dorms have small, cramped double deck beds. The lower bunk is too low you hit your head on the frame when you sit up. And taking the top bunk means you can only sleep on one side because you’ll fall face first when you toss and turn. So pick your poison. (Well, you’re in college. You’ll barely sleep anyway.)
4. Wake me up when this sem ends
Your roommates are not only our walking spare key but also your living and breathing wake up alarm who are ready to slap you in the face to keep you awake during an all-nighter. But when you ask them to wake you up and you don’t, IT’S ON YOU! It’s not their fault you’re a sleepyhead.
3. Wake me up with my roommate’s alarm
Picture this: In that one rare occasion that you could actually, finally get some sleep, your roommate’s deafening alarm goes off at 4 AM. And doesn’t stop because they’re not waking up. And you can’t turn it off yourself. And you try to go back to sleep but you can’t because it’s ringing in your ears. So you just give up sleeping for yet another night and go to class sleepless. Way to go, you.
2. Instant noodles is life
Cheap. Tasty. Cheap. Easy to cook. Cheap. Bad for your health. Have I mentioned cheap? That’s instant noodles for you. Along with canned goods and everything else instant. Not exactly the best option for every meal, but you’re just a broke college student tryna survive a semester. You’ll live.
1. No place like dorm. I mean, home.
Living in the dorms can be the best times of your life, being independent and all that. But other times, you just can’t wait to come back home and taste home cooked meals again and sleep at the comforts of your own bed. No place like it, indeed.
Ever lived in a college dorm? Share your experience with us in the comments!
