The time to move out of the on-campus dorms is coming sooner than later and I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. I’ve never had a year flash before my eyes the way this one has. I have to say I’m sad to be leaving; I feel so well adjusted and wish things didn’t have to change. Next year I’ll be living in Harbor Point, so it’s still close, but things will definitely be different. Not being in the same hall as my friends, or even the same building, is making me anxious that I’ll be in isolation.
I consider myself to have a love-hate relationship with the dorms. We abide by rules enforced by the university, so it’s reminiscent of high school, but that’s how it is at every college. There are rules that are taken seriously that I may not understand and measures in place that I don’t agree with either; but overall it has run fairly smooth for a first-year gig.
As much as I dislike the food in the dining hall (I’m a very picky eater so my options are extremely limited), it’s so nice to always have food ready and available. The convenience is what I’ll miss the most. Having a market open until midnight every day has also been amazing, and it will be very hard to adjust without. Having to buy my own groceries and make my own food is dreadful, but I’ve got to eat!
Another thing I’ll miss about the dorms is the maintenance. Our bathrooms are almost always clean, and whenever there’s an issue it’s fixed pretty quickly. The halls are constantly vacuumed and taken care of along with the elevators. I don’t have a private bath in my dorm, so having one that’s cleaned and supplied on my floor is important and has been very convenient for me.
As you can see, I may miss the convenience of the dorms more than the actual dorms. It definitely isn’t fun waking up at 7 a.m. to a jackhammer going crazy. I also don’t love how every time I order food, the dorms are basically impossible to get to or navigate. However, I’ve enjoyed my freshman year here and have definitely benefited socially by living in the dorms. Our resident assistant has always been available for help whenever I need it, there are study rooms for us to work in, and each floor has its own mini community.
There have been great improvements I’ve seen since living here, such as the recent change to the shuttle buses. Now, after 6 p.m. they stop at the dorms which is so much better than stopping at the Campus Center. Because we are guinea pigs, there are kinks that the dorms have had to work out and we see that and go through that. However, it’s been really awesome to live in a room as the first resident to ever occupy it. After all the drama with The Boston Globe article, I think our opinions have been valued more and that’s been a huge plus. Allowing us to get involved with the dorm and have a voice on issues has helped make a change that is better for everyone. May 25 is coming soon, and as much as I am excited, I am sad.