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Education
Colleges
Dorm Life
Getting Settled In a Dorm Room
It's Not All About the Furniture...
 For
many college students, dorming is a first step toward living away
from home. Mom and dad are not there to supply meals, clean laundry,
supervision or mediate disagreements with the people sharing the
same living space.
It's
a welcome challenge for most new college students, but it isn't
always an easy transition.
These
tips can help you get off on the right foot with roomies and make
sharing dorm space a lot more pleasant...
- Find out
about the options for dorming at your school before you get
there. Some dorms are smoke free or focus on a vegetarian diet
while others are more relaxed with mixing different lifestyles.
If you have an choice between several residences, find out which
one will be the best match for you.
- Ask about
what is allowed in the dorm. Don't arrive with a whole dorm
room kitchen ensemble only to find out that fire regulations
prohibit cooking in your dorm.
- Find out
who your dormmates will be and get in touch before you start
school. Many new students try to get to know their roommates
early enough to coordinate who will bring the TV and the room
'fridge. Getting to know the person, or people, who will be
sharing your living space makes moving in together a bit easier.
Find out what kind of music they like and what they do for fun.
If the match is perfect thank your lucky stars. If it seems
that you've been paired with someone who you'll find it impossible
to live with you have time to contact the college and explain
why you need to find another roommate. Some good reasons for
asking to be switched might be getting paired with a smoker
if you don't smoke or getting matched with someone who has strong
objections to your values or lifestyle choices.
- Define
responsibilities. Many dorms are in an apartment setting and
that means you'll have a shared bathroom and kitchen... read
that as a bathtub and dishes to clean. Unless who does what
gets set up in the beginning it can lead to a very rough semester
of arguing about the mess and who's not doing their fair share
of cleaning. Even if you just share a room together, dirty laundry
piled on every flat surface may be something you or your dormmate
find unacceptable.
- Draw boundaries.
The college may have put you with someone from a family where
everyone wears everyone else's clothes. If you don't want to
share your favorite blouse or sweater, make that clear from
the beginning. If you're planning on getting your own phone,
make sure that your roommates know that they can't make long
distance calls on your bill. Most experienced dormers will tell
you not to get a phone in your room - use your cell phone and
keep it close to you.
- Find out
how far your dorm is from the campus buildings where your classes
will be. The sad fact is that freshmen normally get the least
lovable dorms. Students who have been there longer have already
grabbed the best spaces and the incoming freshman get what's
left over. Long walks to class or the cafeteria are common.
Ask about on campus transportation. Can you bring your own car
or does everyone ride a moped or bicycle? Try getting in touch
with some people who've been at the school for a while and can
give you some information on the layout of the campus and what
other students do to get around.
- Bring quarters.
Vending machines and coin laundries need quarters and there
are never enough to go around.
Expect some
bumps in the transition to college - including dorming - and be
ready with a sense of humor to laugh about the things you can't
fix. You can always look forward to next year when you'll be the
experienced one! Have fun and don't forget to study in between
dorm parties and all night gab fests.
Related
Links of Interest
Adjusting
to College Dorm Life
How
to Furnish a Dorm Room
also
see in House & Home -> Moving
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