dorm life: tips & Tricks

Dear future college freshman,

     Welcome to the best year ever!! Oh how I wish to be back in your shoes. Being away from home for the first time can be scary, but it is also the first step to freedom. You can go to bed whenever you want, eat whatever you want for dinner, decorate your dorm, and have a year-long sleepover with your roomies. As I go into my junior year of college I have been reminiscing on my college experience. Here are some of my recommended tips and tricks to try to make your transition just a little bit easier. 

1. Get to know your roommates! If you aren't lucky enough to have your best friends go to the same college as you, your roommates will be the girls that you lean on during your first year. They are often some of your first friends and end up in some of your best memories. They are going through the same transition as you and having each other makes the process a lot easier. I became best friends with my roommates and we do everything together. I can't imagine what my freshman year would have been without them.
2. Use the dining hall to your advantage. Okay... it's not your favorite restaurant, but it's also not high school cafeteria food. Once you try it out and find what you like it really is worth it. Your freshman year the school requires you to get a dining hall package. Since it has been paid for when you start school it really is best for you to go ahead and use it. When you've gotten your schedule down, you can find times to stop in and grab a bite to eat and since it has already been paid for it's almost like you're eating for free.
3. Bring LOTS of t-shirts. The college experience is based on comfort. Majority of people will wear a t-shirt with running shorts almost everyday of the week. When you're super tired and not ready for class it's always easy to throw on a tee and head to class with no judgment.
4. ​Bring and take lots of pictures. In your dorm it is always fun to decorate your room the way that you like. A great way to do so is with pics! It not only brightens up the room, but it can start conversations. My freshman year my roommates and I had a wall of all of our goofy and cute pictures. To this day we still look back on these pictures to reminisce on some of our most fun memories. 
5. Make the most of your college experience! (It goes by faster than you think). Whenever someone asks you to do something fun or to hang out...GO. It may be the best night of your entire life. It could be a story to tell your kids or the night you meet your best friend. Be openminded and really have fun. Good luck my sweets!!

      With Love,
      Ansley Boles, Fall '18