Episode 1 of Dorms on Campus
We all live in dorms. That’s a given for 95% of the student body.
I think there’s a universal experience that each Swattie goes through during their time here, and that’s the oh-so-wonderful dormitory life! Dormitory life is a crucial part of the coming of age of your average Swattie. Just think about it: looking out at the view from your window, having late-night talks in your dorm with your friends, hearing your neighbors blasting music from the next room over, and thinking to yourself either, “wow, why is it so loud?!” or, “wow, thank God my neighbors have good music taste!” (don’t worry, for me it’s the latter; my neighbors are great). Oh, and don’t forget fighting tooth-and-nail for an open washing machine. I think that’s a rite of passage for every Swattie here (or every Swattie who’s been a Willets resident, at the very least).
I could honestly go on and on about the experiences of living here: the September heat; the crusty bathrooms; the lack of AC (or the presence of—if you have AC in your dorm, just know that I am very jealous of you); the rocking anti-suicide chairs that I swear do the exact opposite of what they’re made for and try to murder you every time you lean back on them; the extremely thin walls that let you hear everything that anyone ever says within a 10-mile radius, which sometimes makes it impossible to sleep or concentrate or do anything in your dorm (or is that just a Willets thing? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was—
Oh, you could tell that I’m a Willets resident? What gave it away?!)
Or maybe the place you live in is quiet, calm, and nothing really happens besides, once in a blue moon, when some big group of friends gather in the lounge right outside your dorm and yap for 5 hours straight. You get through your day-to-day life not hearing a sound from other rooms, and you might live a relatively peaceful existence when you’re in your residence hall. Excluding the rats that may have signed a lease to live in your dorm, that is.
(Huge disclaimer, though: I’m not blaming people for being loud—I sometimes get carried away in my dorm, too—I’m blaming whoever designed this place and thought it was a good idea to make the walls out of nothing but cotton candy and kept together by hopes and dreams. Like, seriously? No AC in half the residence halls and paper-thin walls in every building? Pick a struggle.)
But I think that’s enough examples.
Now, back to the point I’m trying to make. Yes, I am trying to make a point here. I may be a professional at complaining, but I will not write a story with zero takeaways. That’s where I draw the line.
I think our shared experiences of living in dorms, no matter what they may be, unify everyone on campus in a way. Maybe you bonded over the misery of having your sleep disrupted in the middle of the night, or maybe you bonded with your roommate over having no one to talk to in your residence halls, or maybe you bonded over the crusty interiors of the places you live in or the huge clumps of hair clogging every single shower drain or the rodent that’s unofficially made your single a double, or your double a triple, or your triple a quad…you get the point.
College wouldn’t be college without these experiences. Pleasant or unpleasant, similar or different, our experiences living here have partly shaped us into who we are now. Shared experiences form bonds, and bonds form friendships, and those friendships can last a lifetime.
(Yes, this is a pretty shallow takeaway, but it’s now 3:50 a.m., which is the only time I’m free to write this before it’s due. Work with me here.)
What I’m trying to say is that your experience living here shapes you in more ways than you can imagine. You might’ve had completely different friends if you’d been placed in or chosen a dorm somewhere else, and you might’ve made completely different choices depending on the people you’re surrounded by. That bond created by shared dorm experiences is what brings us all together, and I think that’s a very important thing to remember. Okay, my brain is shutting off now. Goodnight (morning?)!
