Dear Dorm,

Thank you for making me go to class.

Living on campus has made it easier for me to get up and go to class every day because everything is in walking distance. I was nervous about adjusting to the college classroom and keeping good grades my freshman year, but my good attendance has definitely helped.

Thank you for teaching me how to be patient.

Living on a hallway full of girls has taught me a lot of things about respect, cleanliness, and responsibility. Teenage girls can bicker about anything from being too loud at night to someone leaving their towel in the bathroom. I have learned that sometimes it’s just necessary to let people do their own thing and to stay out of it.

Thank you for making me realize just how much I appreciate my parents.

I can’t thank them enough for being my caretakers, laundry-doers, chefs, and so many other things for the first 18 years of my life. Now that I am doing it all on my own, I value their selflessness so much more.

Thank you for my sleep deprivation.

I have become absolute best friends with the girls that live next door to me, and I am thankful for the nights- almost every night- where we stay up until 4 AM, even though we have an 8 AM class. Living in the dorm gave me friendships and memories that I will cherish forever.

Thank you, most of all, for allowing me to grow up.