McKean Hall. It’s the first thing I see on my housing assignment, and the panic immediately sets in. I knew what that meant. It was my first time ever being out of the comfort of my own home, and I was going to be stuck in the notoriously disgusting freshman dorm. I prepared for the worst with mattress protectors, clips to tightly seal my food, and even three cans of Lysol. After spending an entire year in McKean, I have come to realize that there was nothing significantly devastating about living there.

Ward kids might think they’re better because their dorm is the one that is shown on the tours, whereas McKean is hurriedly passed while getting to Campus Center. But, that worked out for us. We are never walked in on by a tour as we are in our towel on the way to the shower. Never once was I surprised as a group of prospective students came to see the wonderful hallways of McKean. Now, don’t get me wrong, it's not a quiet place to live, but at least you don’t scare the future students by accidentally flashing them as your towel rides up.

When you are part of McKean hall you build a community with the residents around you. While getting ready for your 9 a.m. class, you can joke through cleaning supply fumes about the bathrooms being cleaned after that treacherous weekend. You make conversation about the smell coming from the trash room. You even run into an RA and are invited to a third floor only pizza party because that RA knows you don’t have any meal plan money left. It seems that misfortunes, make for great conversation and deeper connections.

Not only do you have more privacy and a stronger community, you have closer access to the Campus Center, where the freshman 15 will be kicked into full affect. I’m not saying Ward kids don’t suffer from the daunting 15 pounds, but I’m saying that it’s a much shorter walk for those in McKean. Luckily, if you aren’t planning on gaining those extra pounds, McKean is also closer to the gym and Mills lawn, so you’ll have more motivation to get out there and get moving. All I have to say about McKean is location, location, location!

So, if you see McKean Hall on your housing assignment, don’t sweat it. In the end, you learn to laugh about the little things you were worried about at first. They don’t affect your quality of college life too much. Living in McKean is not just about the dorms; it’s not just about how nice the floors look after a weekend of no cleaning. It’s about being able to say, “Yeah, I did live in McKean freshman year,” and having that bond with about 400 other people in the school who will share that fond, distant memory of freshman year with you in the future. McKean may not have everything, but it certainly has character.