Campus life....college, dorms, stuff like that

1.) Enjoyable in a deceptive, transitory way. I think it made me start wanting friends for more than just entertainment and appearances, but it didn't actually help me make any in the long term, because I didn't make the most of it.
2.) Yes.
3.) Probably.
4.) Most of us had our own bedrooms. We shared much less than one does with one's family which is another think I miss. There were still about a dozen of us living together with one kitchen and one bathroom, but everyone made an effort to be a good floormate and the compromises we made worked. The only people who didn't along were the two girls who shared a room, until one them moved out, but she carried on visiting afterwards. If you're sharing a room, you'll have to compromise that much more, but if everyone has to do that, maybe it wouldn't be too bad.
5.) Not sure. I liked having self catered accommodation because it's flexible, I like cooking and the kitchen was a good place to socialise, plus I bought almost everything in the value range. People gathered there to talk, play cards, drink etc. If you have a kitchen AND the choice to get a meal plan, perhaps you get some of the advatages of both.
6.) Some of them, but not enough. People were friends by the end of the first month, if not fresher's week. Maybe in your country they call it something else, but that's when lots of events are organised to help new students meet each other and get involved with university activities. It make socialising much faster paced for better or worse. Hit the ground running. Do things because other people are doing them. If you can find something you want to do and persuade others to join you, all the better.
7.) No, but it felt like I did while I was there. That's just me though, many of the others are still in touch with each other.

Of course, there are people outside your dorm in classes, clubs, societies and indeed outside the university (the latter may be relevant in a big city where people set up groups for hobbies which strangers can join more often). It's just that the people in your dorm are already with you and are more likely to feel obliged to speak to you.

Consider using a padlock or two. Almost everyone in my kitchen did, so it could hardly be taken as personal. Especially if you start doing it from the beginining. Some students steal and I should think that most don't, but you don't know which ones you're going to live with.

 

For me, it was absolutely great. Going to university in general and living on campus allowed me to really form my own identity, relative to the non-social, nerdy, self-conscious me that used to go to high school. It gave me the chance to make friends (despite the fact that I was terrified I wouldn't be able to make friends), and now those people are easily the best friends I've ever had (and I hate using the term "best" friends). I'm now living with those same friends off-campus and have been for the past two years. Because we got so close spending so much time together after having met within the first week, they are arguably the people I trust most and also the first people I came out to.

It wasn't a big deal for me because I shared a room with my brother up until university anyways. Most of the time I spent in common rooms or on campus because my friends would be there. My roommate and I worked in such a way that we never really conflicted for shower times or anything either, so it was pretty smooth. But the couple of times there was something we needed to work out, I just talked with him, because he was pretty easygoing.

We didn't share "stuff" though; we both had our own things. I can't think of much you might be forced to share with your roommate besides the actual room, and maybe a fridge or something you both agree to get.

I'd say so. Assuming you're just starting university, the transition to university is overwhelming enough as it is. The meal plan is just one more opportunity to go and be social with other people. Make plans and go get dinner together! My now housemate and I used to do that all the time during exams - split up and study for the day, then meet up again in the evening to grab food and go back to the dorms.

I got pretty involved with our Welcome (frosh) Week, which let me meet a lot of people. I also got involved with the Inter-Residence Council, kind of like a high school student council for all the people living on campus. I got involved in other non-residence clubs (photography, improv, Engineers Without Borders, etc.) too, though those ended up being less social for me since I didn't get many opportunities to show up.

Definitely join some extracurriculars - it's a great way to meet people outside of your program/residence and you'll already have something in common with them.

See above, but yep.

 

I loved living in a dorm. It was only for one year because I came out and realized there would be almost no gay life at that college and I'd be better off near home. (The college was 5 hours from home and very small.). I made friends, got involved with activities, etc. My roommates (2 of them) were very different, but we got along. Most of the time, they were with their boyfriends elsewhere, so I had the place to myself, and it was a big room, designed for 4 (one left the first week). They didn't care about me being interested in women. A smaller room might have been difficult because I'm a pack rat, but buying some efficient storage devices can probably help. We didn't have the option to do any cooking in the room or nearby, so I had to use the dining hall , which was in our building. A little too convenient - I gained 15 pounds. I'd say to make sure you have a way to eat properly.

 

1.) How would you describe your experience?
I currently live on campus and for the most part love it, aside from the food. For me it’s way easy for me to get involved with clubs and sports and be social if I’m right on campus. My current roommate is great. I was nervous when I first moved on campus last year, but most people are. Keep an open mind; it can be a lot of fun.

2.) Did you enjoy it?
I really enjoy it, everything is right there (my school is wicked small). But we have a lot of free events for students on campus, like bands and dances and movies and things, so I keep busy. It’s nice because all my friends are here, I can hang out with them, but I can also get my space if I need it.

3.) Would you do it again if given the chance?
I would definitely do it again, it helps me be a more social person, and I could totally see myself becoming isolated from everyone if I were to move off campus.

4.) How did you adapt to a new person sharing your space and your stuff?
I’ve gone to camp for ever so I was used to sharing space. I was nervous at first, more about what my roommate would be like though. Sharing wasn’t a huge issue for me, but I think a lot of people have the same hesitations or similar when first moving into a dorm room.

5.) Campus meal plans...are they worth it? Or should I buy groceries and cook in the kitchen?
At my school you have to be on a meal plan if you’re in the dorms, with the exception of two. I don't always like what is at the caf, but it also a social thing, at least at my school. I'd say at least start out on a meal plan and if you don't like it after the first semester switch.

6.) Did you get involved in on campus or dorm activities and did that make things easier/more fun?
I play soccer and basketball for my schools’ varsity teams which helped me meet people and gave me something to do in a small town. I also joined a couple clubs. I would highly recommend something you’re interest in, clubs and such are a great way to get involved on campus and meet new people and have some fun.

 

1.) How would you describe your experience?

— Overall, I'd call my on-campus living experience a total nightmare and shipwreck. This is mostly because I'm a very private person and really need need need to have my own space. Sharing a room with someone else was beyond stressful and beyond irritating for me. My roommates always snored (this was the worst part because I could never get any sleep), were messy (and sometimes smelled bad), brought their friends over to hang out when I was trying to do homework, played their music out loud, some smoked in my room when I wasn't there, etc. I also need solitude, so having very little time alone and without a private room was emotionally and mentally taxing for me.

2.) Did you enjoy it?

—NO.

3.) Would you do it again if given the chance?

— HELL NO. One of the worst decisions I made in my life was living on campus. I am especially mad at myself for the fact that I chose to do it again sophomore year even after the disaster of freshman year...and sophomore year on-campus housing experience was 10x worse.

4.) How did you adapt to a new person sharing your space and your stuff?

— I did not adapt at all. It caused me sooooooo much anxiety. I actually became a very angry, irritable person because of all of the stress that on-campus housing and my roommate was causing me. She was messy as hell and smelled like a sewer. She never emptied the trash, had hair all over the carpet and in the bathtub, and was just disgusting to live with. Also, my neighbors directly above me smoked weed all day, and I could smell it coming in through the heat vent in my room. And they blasted music all day from 9am to 1am so that I couldn't have any peace and quiet. I filed noise complaints with the housing department every day, but all they did was knock on their door, tell them to be quiet, leave, and they would just ignore it and continue blasting music.

5.) Campus meal plans...are they worth it? Or should I buy groceries and cook in the kitchen?

— Don't get meal plans. You'll get so sick of them very quickly, and the food is often not very god.

6.) Did you get involved in on campus or dorm activities and did that make things easier/more fun?

— I went to a few GSA meetings, but stopped eventually. They didn't enhance my experience at all.

7.) Did you make friends in your dorm?
— Freshman year in the dorms, yes. But it's not really worth the rest of the hassle of living with a roommate.

---------- Post added 13th Mar 2013 at 05:13 PM ----------

I forgot to add: Sorry if I was too much of a downer haha. This was just my experience. Everyone's is different. Some people may have a really good time, but that just wasn't the case for me.

 

1.) How would you describe your experience?

I love living on campus! I have lived on campus now for 2 years. I've only had one bad roommate, and she moved out after 2 weeks. I've had 4 roommates now, and all but one have been awesome.

2.) Did you enjoy it?

Yes!

3.) Would you do it again if given the chance?

Well, I'm coming back to the same residence hall next year. So, I think that's a yes.

4.) How did you adapt to a new person sharing your space and your stuff?

It didn't really bother me. I get lonely when my roommate is gone. As long as you set clear boundaries, things are fine.

5.) Campus meal plans...are they worth it? Or should I buy groceries and cook in the kitchen?

I have to have one at my school. I don't have a choice. How good the food is really depends on your school. I know that at mine, it's pretty good.

6.) Did you get involved in on campus or dorm activities and did that make things easier/more fun?

I am involved in a TON of stuff on campus. I'm in hall council, pride, I work at the 2 tv stations on campus, and a ton of other things as well. I'm pretty much always busy.

7.) Did you make friends in your dorm?
I have made a ton of friends. One of the best things to do is to sit in the lounge and be social. I have met so many people this way.

 

It's been amazing. That is all.

 

If the dorms/food plans are any good really depends entirely on where you go to school. I had a meal plan my first year of university and it was the biggest waste of money. The food was atrocious so I refused to eat there. It was also ridiculously overpriced. I got the cheapest meal plan and it was around four thousand dollars. I could have eaten out every night and saved money. The year after I learned my lesson and started cooking for myself.

I recommend that you look into reviews online about where you'll be going. That should give you a more accurate description of what to expect. Keep in mind that dorms/food plans/colleges are not created equal

 

Hearing the primarily positive responses had made me excited for moving to dorms next year.

 

I'll be doing the same as you soon enough. I know the feeling of isolation, it sucks... so if anything, going back to College will be a great experience for you. There are so many different types of people and you are bound to make friends if you are willing to put yourself out there; and putting yourself out there is so much easier in a college environment when you are surrounded by kids your age and in similar situations.

Dont focus on the "what ifs".. it is pointless and at the end of the day it leads to nowhere; remain positive. "What if" thinking is useless and perpetuates negativity, causing your fears to get bigger by the second. You could go on and on about the negatives, but why not go on about the positives? What if.. your room mate is really cool and fun, What if ... you get along with them really well? Its natural to jump to the negatives because of the level of anxiety you are dealing with (which is also completely normal) but the key is to think positively. At the end of the day, if it is dreadfully horrible, which I am positive it wont be, lol, you always have alternatives. Nothing is as serious as we make it out to be.


(+ when I say positive, I don't mean viewing your situation through rose-colored glasses, I mean thinking realistically, rationally, and with a bright outlook.)


No doubt you'll experience a level of loneliness once you leave, but that's only normal; it's a part of becoming independent too. You also say you've experienced a "shut in" for the past 12months so I get the feeling you're already a strong person who is able to deal with levels of loneliness, so I think you have the upper hand. Being cut off makes socialization feel like a daunting task but in reality once you get back into it things will just take their course, even if you are shy or socially awkward (you'll meet plenty of other people who are feeling the same way) Don't let it overcome you as you will have the chance to meet so many new people, pursue an education/career that hopefully you really love, and be yourself!!

 

MOVE OUT!!!! You won't regret it. You might get a shitty roommate, true, but in a college dorm setting if they're that shitty, you can move between quarters and get a new one. Don't worry. Remember that you set the rules for conduct in your space. If you set up a clear 'your side, my side, no sharing' rule, chances are, if you're nice about it and respectful, they'll respect that. Same goes if you set a "we can share some of my stuff and be friends" rule. Relax. Trust a little more. People can be dicks, but if you get a good roommate, they can be a lifelong friend. My dad is still really close friends with his college roommate.

Both of my sisters have had several really shitty roommates, though. But, they're just a page in a book. One bad roommate never ruins your life. And my first roommate was my polar opposite. Parties all the time, boy crazy, duck face, sorority style... But it was okay, because I kept to myself and she kept to hers. She was a nice enough person, so it was okay.

I want to tell you, with university housing, if you push hard enough for long enough, you can get anything to happen. Don't think every person will be a bad roommate, don't think every dorm room will be a miserable closet.

1. My experience has been alright. My first dorm room had less than three feet between the loft beds, the desks wouldn't fit anywhere besides under the beds, and the closets were four feet from the end of the beds. Absolutely tiny. And dark. With the girly girl roommate. I didn't like it, and it was pretty stressful.

Then I transferred to a new room. And my roommate was very very staunchly Mormon. And she had an entitlement complex the size of Texas. So one day after that transfer, I told housing it was not going to work, and they sent me to the residence hall coordinator, who gave me a list of free spots and let me pick. I chose a room on the top floor, with gorgeous slanted ceilings and a beautiful window with a view, and I'm crazy about it! I've already booked it for next year so I can stay again. My roommate is very quiet. We don't really talk and that's fine with me.

2. Yes, I enjoy it very much. Don't assume all situations are created equal, and don't be afraid to push for a change.

3. Yes! Doing it again next year for sure.

4. I don't share my stuff. I'm just not ever that close to my roommate. We're not friends, we just live together. It might be different, but you only have to share as much as you are comfortable with. It's like how you're cool with your close friends eating your food, but acquaintances are labeled as creepy and shunned if they try that too fast. You dictate who does what with your stuff. Period.

5. My campus has nice food. Tasty, and decently nutritious, too. I liked mine a lot, and it's so worth the money. But my sisters weren't so lucky and their university food sucked balls. So ask about it for your university. None of us will know about their food and living situations.

6. Between being an engineering major with a minor in Russian and playing roller derby four nights a week, I never had time, energy, or interest enough to do the dorm activities. That being said, the few I've gone to have been tons of fun. Definitely go to some to start the year out. Clubs too. Then as things go on and you learn what groups you fit best, you can decide to keep going to them or to choose other activities.

7. Yes, one of my closer friends is friends with me because we were in the same dorm building. I stop by her room and the three of us, her, her roommate (with whom she is quite close and friendly. Sharing stuff and all.) and I, chat, joke, and occasionally have dance parties. It's super fun.

So just relax. The more you go with the flow, roll with the punches, and open your mind to the fun new experience, the better it will be. Don't make it a big fuss and it won't be a big deal.

Sincerely, someone who loves college so much it's crazy.