I lived in the dorms of a university for three semesters. Unlike many dorms on TV where the whole floor shares a bathroom, my dorms were all suite-style. My first dorm had 6-person suites with three bedrooms, a living area and bathroom. were two girls to a bedroom and six girls to a bathroom. My last dorm was 2-person suites with a bedroom and bathroom.
Moving into the dorms may sound like the easiest part of college life, but there are always things you don’t expect will come up (like whose turn it is to buy the toilet paper). Here are a few tips I wish I’d known before moving into the dorms.
Make a cleaning schedule and post it where everyone can see it.
During my first semester living in the dorms, I was the only one who cleaned the bathroom. It was irritating, but I couldn’t stand how gross the bathroom would become.
I guess one of my suite-mates started feeling guilty the second semester, because someone suggested a cleaning schedule. It was awesome. I went from cleaning our dorm bathroom by myself to having help. (No longer being the only one cleaning someone else’s hair dye from between the tiles on the counter was wonderful).
Posting the schedule where everyone can see it also makes everyone feel more obligated. We had it in an obscure place at first, and it was ignored. Once we taped to the wall right outside the bathroom, no one could miss it and say, “Well, I didn’t realize it was my week to do that.”
Establish ground rules with your roommate ASAP.
I never did this but I wish I had, especially with my last roommate.
My last roommate didn’t really respect the days when I got home late and then had to be up very early the next morning because I was in marching band. For example, there was more than one occasion where she was on the phone with her boyfriend at 3 AM.
She even did it on school nights. There was a “study room” right down the hall she could have easily used for her late-night phone conversations, which were also pretty awkward to listen to. Heck, even the bathroom would have been better.
Ground rules like “Don’t be on the phone in the room while I’m asleep at night” would have been the smart thing for us to do and might have created a more peaceful living arrangement.
Dorm room snacks are a must!
Most dorms provide a mini fridge. If you have one, make sure you stock that thing up. Get a box that fits under your bed for non-refrigerated stuff. Late night study sessions are awful if you don’t have anything to drink or snack on.
Whether the snacks are healthy or not is up to you, but you want to have plenty on-hand. Even if your dorm is attached to a dining hall, most dining halls are NOT open 24/7. You don’t want to make a 3 AM trip to Walmart because you get hungry pulling an all-nighter to finish that paper.
I usually kept a few sodas, some of those easy-mac microwavable single-servings, granola bars, and a few other things on hand at all times.