Missing the dorms is something I never thought possible. Who wants to live in a tiny room that has no AC along with a stranger? Why would you want to share a bathroom with that one girl who's not wearing shower shoes, but probably should be? Or the one girl who used to fool around with your boyfriend? Sounds crazy, I know. But as I sit in my off campus house, I begin to miss the hot, and sometimes smelly, place I once called home.
The thing that is so great about the dorms is the closeness. You begin to form relationships with the people around you, the girls upstairs could become your closest friends, and the boy you meet taking out the garbage could become your boyfriend.
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Living on your own for the first time is scary. However, living in the dorms is the opposite of being lonely. You are in the middle of all the action. Being a less-than-five-minute walk from everything gives you the opportunity to get involved on campus, and even make it to your 8 a.m. class. The dining hall becomes the best meeting spot for sometimes edible food and socialization.
The lobby of Maple Hall of Penn State Altoona was constantly filled with people. Before my boyfriend and I began dating, I figured out that he liked to sit and do his homework there. So I figured out that if I walk through the lobby, I would have a chance of seeing him. The lobby was a place to eat, talk, FaceTime your friends really loudly or study.
Today, I send the message to freshman living in dorms to enjoy it. Not to get caught up in the bug problems, but focus on forming relationships with the people around you.
