Now that I am almost done with my freshman year of college, I can say that my dorm has now become my second home. Here are the ways I know that I am truly comfortable with my living situation:
1. I no longer care about changing in front of my roommates
At the beginning of the school year, I would more often than not figure out what I was wearing for the day and then take my clothes into the bathroom with me to change. Now, I'm honestly completely fine if my roommates catch a butt cheek.
2. My desk has progressively become messier and messier
For most of my life, my room has been constantly messy with little breaks of cleanliness. However, when I came to college, I knew I would be sharing a room with two other people and that behavior just wouldn't fly. So, at the beginning of the year, it was honestly scary how clean my room was (and how long I kept it that way). However, there came a time when all the stuff I own just started to make its way out onto my desk, my bed and the floor. You can tell I'm comfortable living somewhere when all the stuff I own progressively makes its way out of where ever it is originally supposed to be. I just really don't care anymore, and neither do my roommates. While I do still keep it out of my roommates' way, I will admit a lot more stuff is visible than before.
3. I ignore people knocking on my dorm room door that are trying to sell things.
The other day I was in my dorm with my roommate and I heard a knock on the door. I looked through the peephole and saw several girls there, one of which was holding a tray full of baked goods. Now, I like cupcakes and cookies as much as the next college student, but I am also as broke as most college students, so I couldn't afford to buy them. So my roommate and I did the only reasonable thing we could have done: got really quiet and made sure it seemed like no one was home. While the product being sold is a little different between my dorm room and my actual home (sorority girls selling cupcakes versus an repairman asking if we needed our roof fixed of hail damage), I can tell you I act the same way.
4. I take a day -- or at least a couple hours -- to clean our humble abode.
The only difference is that as opposed to my actual house, I actually want to clean it. Since I use and/or see every part of my dorm every single day, I can't go too long without going all "Mrs. Doubtfire" on it.
5. Nothing's better than coming back to my dorm room and my bed after I've gone on a trip.
Just like when I traveled to places before I started college, I would always look forward to sleeping in my own bed once I got back from my trip. I can tell that my dorm is my second home because I feel the same way whenever I am away from it. Also, it is probably the most comfortable bed on the planet.