During your sophomore year of college, life can often become hectic. You become so overwhelmed with work and extracurricular activities that you do not always have time to see the people that mean the most to you. Despite all this, the people that mean the most to you are the ones who, no matter what they are doing or how busy they are, will find a way to hang out and reunite once again. The people you befriend during your first year of college are those that you are the most likely to remain friends with all throughout college and hopefully even beyond. Those people to me are the people I met in the one and only Monster Hill 5^th floor purple suite.

Despite being close to all of my classes, the dorm I stayed in during my freshman year was less than terrific. It is currently being renovated and restored because it was essentially run-down and in terrible shape. That dorm is Hill College House, one of the worst dorms in the country according to an article from The New York Times. I chose this dorm because of its convenient location and dining hall, and despite what I had heard about it, I chose to believe otherwise; I was wrong. I was surprised and shocked at the poor condition of the building, the small and unaccommodating size of my dorm room and the suite bathroom, and the lack of air conditioning that caused me to wake up in a sweat during the hot and humid summer months. These conditions were not favorable, but livable, especially because I knew I was not the only one experiencing the same thing.

As a shy, timid freshman going to school over 2,000 miles away, I was scared about my unfamiliarity with my surroundings and the environment. I was scared about meeting people from all over the country and all over the world, from backgrounds I was likely to be unfamiliar with as well. I was scared that everybody I met would be smarter than me and that I would feel less than special. To my pleasant surprise, none of my fears came true. I slowly became accustomed to my new surroundings, although it was a process. I came to know people from all sorts of different backgrounds, but was able to find things in common with them. I felt special and unique by representing someone from a Hispanic background, an uncommon ethnicity at my school. I was welcomed and received by my suite mates in Monster Hill, and I would not trade my freshman experience for anything.

I quickly and easily built friendships with my suite mates. Over time I felt less homesick and less alone because there was a “we are all in this together” mentality within our suite. We would all hang out together at least once a week and attend each other’s shows, concerts, and other performances. My freshman suite was how I met my current roommates, and I could not imagine a better and more comfortable living situation as a sophomore than the one I am living in now. I live in the same building as most of my friends from Monster Hill, so seeing and visiting one another is a common occurrence. In this way, our friendships continue to grow and strengthen. I look forward to more Monster Hill reunions in the coming weeks, months, and years. Hopefully my college freshman friendships are built to last a lifetime.