The end of summer approaches. This means, the beginning of a new school semester is almost around the corner for students. For some, this means heading to college to live independently in a college dormitory. Though there are many advantages of living in a dormitory, you will need to adapt some skills to cope with diverse situations and live with strangers in harmony.
The following are some guidelines you need to follow to survive your dorm life.
Introduce Yourself
First things first: meet your roommate(s) as early as possible. Most schools will mail a contact sheet with their addresses (or more). This should give you enough time to write a friendly letter introducing yourself, sharing your e-mail address if it wasn’t provided to them, and letting them know a little about yourself.
A good example of a good letter of introduction: “Hi. I’m Jill Doe, your new roommate for the Fall semester. I’m an English major; I think I might try a minor in Creative Writing. My e-mail address is [email protected] – let me know what you’re bringing for our room so we don’t end up with three refrigerators and no microwave. See you soon!”
It only takes a couple of moments to write. You don’t need an extensive letter/email. As long as you include just enough information about you to form some sort of a reply, if your roommate chooses to reply back.
The most important part of this letter, though, is the fact that you asked the roommate you’re your roommate is bringing. That way you don’t end up with two microwaves, no television set, and twenty plastic cups that you’ll never use.
Don’t worry if you don’t receive a reply from any of your roommate(s). If you miss this opportunity to make contact, you’ll get to meet them on move-in day – and that’s when you can make your good first impression.
Dealing with your roommate:
In order to make your college days comfortable, you need to develop a good relationship with your room mate. These are some of the tips for dealing with your room mate:
Be courteous and try to understand your roommate’s requirements. Keep the noise down and clean your part of the room regularly. Be open to your roommate and tell them directly if you are having trouble with any of their habits. Decide some home rules and schedules together with your room mate.
How to confront:
Use tactful conversation to seek out the problems you are having with your roommate’s attitude or habits. You need to respect the other’s viewpoint, as well. The other confrontation tactics include:
Tell the specific problem to your room mate politely and try to find out a solution together. Keep in mind that your room mate is also paying and thus have equal rights to get a fair treatment from you. Be open enough for any future comments or compromise. Report directly to the dormitory supervisor in case the problem continues even after a polite confrontation.
How to ascertain your territory:
Be considerate about the living space of your room. Since you have to share an already small space, put your possessions only in the part of the room that belongs to you. Divide the room evenly and ,if possible, share certain things to avoid doubling. If you want to create boundaries, be polite. You can use mats or carpets to indicate your part of the room.
Wondering what you need to do for your first semester in a college dormitory/residence hall?
Here are some tips before you start packing your bags and saying good-bye to your parents.
First, ensure that everything is in order. You should have a stack of correspondence from the school’s housing office. Make sure that your account is paid in full, any financial aid is squared away, and that you know where you’re going once you get to your campus. You can check the school’s Web site for campus maps, or pick one up at an information center on visiting day. Either way, a general idea of the campus layout will only help you your first few weeks of school.
Pack everything that you know you’ll need for the next four months or so. Don’t forget that the weather WILL change by the time you take finals: it’ll get colder or hotter, depending on where you live and what time of year you leave. Pack for changes in weather. You don’t want winter to fall upon you and you aren’t prepared with coats or gloves.
Seal “leakables” in plastic freezer bags to prevent them from ruining your clothing or other items. Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, dishwashing liquid, and other such things should go into the bags.
Keep it compressed. Try to use as few bags and boxes as possible, but don’t overdo it: loading fifty hardbound books into one box is asking for a backache, or worse. Use wheeled suitcases where you can; it’s easier to transport your items.
Before you pack the pretty candles and incense sticks, check your contract. Most on-campus housing is candle-free. Know the rules before you get there so you won’t have to waste your time digging through all your bags and boxes to find the banned items to send back home.
If you’re thinking that nobody will notice, or that it’s okay to have just one little banned item, think again: most universities will slap you with a hefty fine – or, worse, kick you out of the residence hall and refuse to let you back in. It’s not worth it, especially if you’re trying to smuggle something like a candle.
Also: check to see what’s provided with the room. Do you need to bring a mini-fridge, or is it provided? Are you going to need a microwave, or is the roommate bringing one? Be sure to have a contingency plan just in case something falls through: one of the advantages of having Mom and Dad (or friends) drop you off is that you can always send extra items home with them.
If you’re on any medications, be sure to register them with your hall director. He or she will need to know what you’re supposed to have, especially if it’s something a little stronger than Tylenol PM. It doesn’t hurt to let someone in charge know what’s going on so that he or she will understand your situation if you need help in an emergency.
Once you show up and check in, you can start moving in and setting up things the way you want them. This is when you meet your roommate and decide who gets which bed and what cleaning supplies to buy.
Unpack and arrange everything, or as much of it as you can get around to unpacking the first day. This is your place for the next few months, so be familiar with it.
Some of the things you need to do before the first day of classes include:
Meeting your Residential Assistant. The RA is there to help you out. He or she is a student just like you, who’s been at this school long enough to know what’s going on. You can usually get questions answered through this person, or at least learn where to go.
Familiarize yourself to the new building. Find the emergency exits and your classroom buildings in relation to your new home. What’s the fastest way to reach the cafeteria from your room? Where is the dorm’s office?
Checking out the bookstore, financial aid office, and other important areas of the campus. Finding these places before the first day of classes will alleviate some of the confusion – and give you the opportunity to run into new people while you’re out and about.
THE PACKING LIST – The basic, because everyone’s needs are different. Add or subtract items,as needed.
Alarm clock. Don’t forget this. Your proffesors won’t accept it as a good excuse for missing class or showing up late.
A lamp or clip light for your bed – so you won’t have to get up to turn off the overhead light if you decide to study or read in bed.
Bedding. Pillows, pillow cases, sheets, mattress padding, and a blanket/comforter/quilt.
School supplies such as pens, paper, your backpack, and index cards. Don’t forget pencils for Scantron tests.
A bicycle, scooter, or other fun way of getting around. This will prove to be most helpful, especially, if your classroom buildings are a couple of miles from your room.
Clothing. Pack all of the clothes you know you’ll wear. The more you have, the less often you’ll have to do laundry.
Everything you need to do laundry. Don’t forget fabric softener, dryer sheets, and plenty of quarters.
Appliances, such as, a mini-fridge, microwave, hair straightner and hair dryer.
Video games, a stereo system, or something else to do during down time – you probably won’t have as much of it as you did in high school, but you’ll still want something to do when there is bad weather and there’s nothing going on in your dorm.
NOTE: if you’re taking a television set, be sure that you remember the remote control, extra batteries, and any hookups you’ll need for the DVD player, VCR, and cable television service.
A camera (digital or film) for capturing the new memories you’ll create. There are friends to meet and new places to explore: this is an easy way to remember them.
Your computer and all the accompanying software.
Everything you need in the shower. Bring many bottles of shower gel. HINT: if you’re sharing a bathroom, you’ll need a convenient way to store all of your shower stuff without interfering with your roommate. A rack that goes over the shower head costs a buck or two. You could also get a shower bucket (basically a plastic bucket with lots of holes for water to drain out). You might also want to invest in a towel rack: some dorms don’t provide enough for all the room’s residents. Some models fit over the bedroom or bathroom door without interfering with its operation, and can cost as little as five bucks.
Cleaning supplies. It’s easier to coordinate this with your roommate so you don’t end up with two or three giant bottles of Windex and no toilet cleaner. This also applies to bath mats around the toilet and shower area. Figure out who’s going to buy the mop, broom, toilet-bowl brush, toilet plunger, cleaning cloths, carpet stain remover, etc.
Toilet paper and paper towels. Even if your roommate says he or she is bringing twelve rolls of TP, bring some. You can never have enough, especially if one or both of you like having other people hang out in your room often.
Shelving and other means of storing items without taking up tons of space. Free-standing shelves are better than wall-mounted models because they don’t require you to put holes in the wall (and probably lose part of your deposit); they can also be moved around at will. Other storage ideas include plastic tubs with lids (for clothing you don’t need this season), under-the-bed boxes, and closet organizers. Apply the same idea to your new desk: use letter trays, storage bins, and pencil cups to keep it neat and clean.
Trash can with liners. Also: air freshener (especially for the trash can).
Any medications you’re taking as well as over-the-counter products. Have something handy for the most common ailments: headaches, colds, hangovers, the flu, and muscle sprains or strains.
Decorations from your old room at home. You might not be able to fit all of your decorations on your share of the walls, so pick two or three that you like the most. The same goes for decorations on your desk or shelf: space might be limited, so you can always pick up more of them when you go home for a break.
Contact information for all your friends and family members, as well as former bosses (just in case you need to find a new job).
A photo album filled with pictures of family, friends, and yourself. It’s nice to have when talking about your friends from home, especially when you’re making new friends. It also helps alleviate some of the homesickness you might feel the first few weeks away from home. Keep some space in this album, or get another one entirely, to add new pictures.
Should you take your car, remember to get the parking permit from the school so you don’t receive a ticket. Be sure that you pack everything you’ll need in case of an emergency: a basic tool kit, jumper cables, the spare tire (with jack and lug wrench), and emergency flares. If you have a car-club membership, keep it current – and ask if they offer student discounts.
Again, the above list is for basic items. The additional items that one will have to pack will vary from person to person.