College Dorm Survival Guide How to Survive And Thrive in Your New Home Away from Home

1: WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HOME The day you enter your college dorm, your life changes. This is no ordinary experience you're signing up for. Think about it. It's bizarre. A whole lot of people, pretty much the same age, all living together. You'll meet strangers who will become your friends (or not). You'll share late-night talks and early morning classes. You'll have a space to share, decorate, and turn into home for nine months out of the year. And, most important of all, you'll learn something new every single day because of the people and experiences you can only find in the dorms. Where else can you find hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of similar-aged people living in close quarters, sharing not only residential space, but also social areas, meal times, classes, and countless other growth opportunities? Joan Schmidt, associate director of Residence Life at Central Michigan University and past president of the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I) Life doesn't get better than a bus at your front door, three meals a day, an endless array of friends and no utility bills to pay. Tosha Jansen-Conkey, senior at University of Kansas Your Dorm-I-Tude There are tons of different dorms and tons of people with different attitudes and personalities about to move into each one. How do you feel about moving to the dorms? a.Yeah! COLLEGE! Freedom! I don't care what my dorm is likeI'm freeeee! b.I'm an introvert. Not used to having all these people around. But I'll give it a shot. c.Study, study, books, books . . . where's the study carrel? Which way to the library? d.Okay. I've lived at home all my life. Some sleepovers. One week at Scout sleepaway camp. WTF? I'm cool. I'm legally an adult. I can handle this. This is weird. That guy looks weird. That RA is a little too perky. That girl looks kinda cool. This is surreal. I'm here. Now what? Basically, most students go in hoping and expecting the best of their dorm experience. And that's great. Go in expecting perfection, though, and you're going to be disappointed. Living in your house wasn't perfect, right? Dorm life won't be, eitherand that's to be expected. In a way it's not natural to suddenly be sharing your home with total strangers. It can be really, really fun. Really, really exciting. Just go in realizing that it's also hard to adjust to living in a dormand that's okay. When you first get to campus, you'll probably want to immediately leave the dorm and meet lots of people and make connections, right? Well, you might want to reconsider. Of course you should meet people, but having a roommate and sharing a bathroom can be a really valuable part of the college experience. It will teach you how to share your space with others, and it also leads to some serious bonding. Some lifelong friendships can be made over sharing a cramped room or common area. WHAT'S A DORM? Throughout this book, you'll notice that the terms dorm and residence hall are used pretty much interchangeably. Dorm comes from dormitory, which has traditionally been a place where students just eat and sleep. The word dormitory can make you think of a small, dingy, sterile room. So not pleasant. However, people who live and work in the college environment use the term residence halls now. That's because today's "dorms" are so much more than they used to be. They're places where you can becoDeVillers, Julia is the author of 'College Dorm Survival Guide How to Survive And Thrive in Your New Home Away from Home', published 2006 under ISBN 9780761526742 and ISBN 0761526749.