MARTIN LOPEZ /HIGHLANDER

Among the excitement of college life is dorming. Living in a residence hall is a unique experience that people either love or hate. Yet, navigating the dorm life does not have to be difficult. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind to help you get through your life in the dorms.

Communicate

You might possibly have up to 70 hallmates. That’s 70 people sharing bathrooms, laundry machines and lounge areas. With that amount of people it’s also possible that they might get on your nerves. Thus, it is important to communicate with your roommate/hallmates about each other’s boundaries. Doing this at an early point in your time in the dorms may help you avoid conflict in the following months.

Showers

Use something to carry all of your shower items and change of clothes. It will be quicker and much more practical to take all your stuff in one caddy than to walk back and forth from your room to the showers. It’s also good to have your clothes nearby and ready to put on, in case a fire alarm or any emergency occurs while you’re showering.

You may also want to use a shower robe. If you get yourself locked out and realize this after showering, you will feel alot better walking to the Resident Services Office in a robe than just a towel.

Be careful about using microwaves and stoves

Most of us have used the microwaves and stoves in our houses without any issue. However, dorm fire alarms and smoke detectors seem to be more sensitive and always ready to go off. Be careful around the appliances in the room. Don’t use the popcorn button. Put water in your cup of noodles before putting them in the microwave. Don’t put silverware inside the microwave. If you are cooking, watch the stove. You don’t want to be THAT first year who set off the fire alarm at an inconvenient time. If you set the alarm off, you could be fined for accidentally doing so.

Do laundry

Make sure you are washing your bed sheets and pillow covers at least once a month, preferably every other week. Doing laundry can take time out of your day but it is a chore that you will need to do sooner or later. Not doing laundry can create an unhygienic space that can potentially cause sickness. It could also leave you without clothes to wear.

Yet, laundry is not as difficult as it sounds. Don’t mix white clothes with colored clothes and use a basket or bag to carry clothes to and from the laundry room. After a while, you will get the hang of it and be able to keep a hygienic space.     

Get to know your roommate/hallmates

You will be living with these people for almost a year. Thus, you will surely find it beneficial and helpful to know your hallmates. If you need help or have a question, they will be the nearest people around to help you.

Dorming is the first step to living by yourself, but that does not mean that it must be stressful. What do you want your dorming experience to be like? There is no perfect way to approach dorming, but you have an active role in determining what your experience will be like. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to make the most of it.