Living on campus these past two years has definitely been an experience. Dorm life is one of the most important stages of becoming acclimated to college, and teaches you just how to live away from your parents, yet now with a brand new person. As my time living on campus comes to an end, I’ve noticed that there are many things I will, and definitely will not, miss about living in a dorm.
I will not miss how small dorms are.
Let’s face it, in college your bedroom is also your living room, your kitchen, your office, and your hangout space. There are definitely times that it can be hard to spend so much time in such a tiny room, never mind having to keep it somewhat organized.
I will miss being close to all of my friends
Living on campus allows you to be in close proximity to just about everyone. No matter where your friends live on campus, it's not more than a walk away.
I will not miss loud neighbors.
If you have never experienced a stampede upstairs at 3am, or music blaring next doors at 8am, consider yourself lucky.
I will miss waking up late for class.
One of the greatest luxuries of campus life is the ability to wake up 15 minutes before class and still make it there on time (hopefully). While I do not recommend making a habit of it, I would totally take advantage of it while you can.
I will not miss the food.
The bottom line is dining hall food is just not that appetizing. You have no control of what’s in your food or when its available to you, and that is something I surely will not miss.
I will miss not having to adult.
College is a bit of a free for all, especially living on campus with few responsibilities. You don’t pay bills, or have to grocery shop and cook your own food. You simply swipe your card at the dining hall and put your dishes on a conveyer belt to be cleaned. Dorm life and doing whatever you want all of the time definitely does not prepare you for the real world.
I will not miss not having control over anything.
The water pressure, the heat, the AC, you name it. I will not miss sweating to death in the middle of the night or the half hour showers just to feel sufficiently clean. Dorm life can be rough when you don’t have control over any of your utilities.
I will miss living in a room with my best friend.
No matter how tiny the room, living with another person can really be so much fun. Having a sleepover every night makes it almost too easy to become best friends with your roommate and makes it bittersweet having to go back to living alone.
Living in a dorm is such a distinct part of the college experience. While living off campus is going to be new and exciting, I will certainly miss some of the things that made it such a great two years.
