If you have been anywhere near or on ECU’s campus this summer, then you have undoubtedly seen the large groups of students walking around wearing lanyards. If you’re like me, you may have also had the urge to either welcome the new freshman to Pirate Nation or warn them about dorm life. Sure, moving out, being on your own, and not having parents hovering around is great, but what people fail to mention are the dirty details and reality about dorm life.

Last year, I was the typical, bright-eyed freshman and couldn’t wait to live in the dorm, rush, and experience college life. Nevertheless, as the veil of starting school and living on my own wore off, reality began to set in. I quickly realized that dorm life was not all the glitz and glamour that the TV and movies depicted it to be. Between dodging shower scum, constantly picking up after my roommate, and being woken up in the wee hours of the morning by people yelling and running down the hallway, I couldn’t move out fast enough.                    
To the upperclassman: hopefully, your dorm experience was better than mine; if reading this calls up unpleasant memories, I apologize. Believe me, I know how you feel.                    

To the incoming freshmen: I wish someone had been there to give me tips and a glimpse into what the dorms were really like. So, here are my top five ways to survive life in a dorm.      

1. Set the ground rules. Whether your roommate is a complete stranger you meet for the first time on move-in day or he or she is your best friend since pre-school, living in a 15x15 foot space with them will bring you closer together (literally), and in many cases drive you further apart. After settling in, figuring out your roommate’s daily routine, level of personal hygiene, and relationship status may save you from future arguments and/or a lot of pent-up anger. Make sure to set some boundaries; if he or she doesn’t pick up after himself or herself, maybe try to set a cleaning schedule. Decide who will take out the trash or vacuum on different days. If your roommate or you happens to have a significant other, make sure it is clear whether they are allowed to spend the night or not. Trust me when I say this may help avoid “That awkward moment.”      

2. Shower shoes. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Knowing you live on a hallway with 50 other people who share the same showers and may or may not use them as often as they ought to, should make you want to buy 10 pairs. Also, don’t get within five feet of the mysterious scum in and around the showers.     

3. Call yo' momma. Whether you are an only child or the last of six siblings to move out, your parents will miss you and inevitably worry about you. So do your mom and yourself a favor and text her at least once a day, maybe even send a Snapchat if you’re feeling extra generous, or homesick. This way, your parents will be happy to know you are alive and you can avoid having to decline your mom’s eighth call that day.                

4. Know your RA. Your resident advisor (RA) is there to help make moving into college easier and take care of any discrepancies that may arise. If you and your roommate have a conflict, consult your RA. He or she may be able to help you reach a compromise. If your neighbors are running up and down the hallway at  2 a.m., while you try to sleep or cram for that 8 a.m. exam, call or wake up your RA. They will be more likely to listen to an authoritative figure than “the kid living next door.” Besides policing the hall, your RA is there to offer words of advice and a shoulder to lean on. They were exactly where you were once and know first-hand how tough transitioning to college can be.      

5. Watch your laundry. No, this was not a typo. While you do need to learn to do your own laundry, lest you run out of clean clothes to wear, you also need to watch said laundry while in the washer or dryer. Unfortunately, in the dorm, clothes have a tendency to disappear from the machines when no one else is watching. Last year, I had several friends who lost their favorite shirt and other various clothing articles because someone else decided they wanted it. So, make sure to time exactly when it is supposed to start and finish, or bring a book to read while you sit there and wait. On the other hand, please don’t steal other people’s clothes. You wouldn’t want someone to do that to you.

While my entire dorm experience wasn’t miserable -- there were some good times -- I am so happy to be living in the sorority house with my sisters, next year. Living in the dorm will provide you with life experience, while simultaneously taking you to your wits end. Enjoy it, embrace it, try not to kill your roommate, and don’t look back on move-out day.