A day in the life of the dorms

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE DORMS

Written by Coco Hernandez

As a first year student who’s dorming, I found the move extremely freeing and exciting! I wanted to recount my experiences. I felt it would be fun to tell how a day of a dorming student goes. But before I get into the juicy stuff, I must share some context. This is the very first time I’ve been on my own. I’m not too far from my family, close enough that I’m able to see them every weekend. My family and I felt this was the best call, since we do not want to deal with a traffic nightmare everyday. Despite being separated from my family, I’m not completely by myself. I share a room with one roommate. This was very new to me; I’m sure it was the same for my roommate. I’ve always lived with my family. I’ve been with these people my entire life. I could walk freely in my undies (oh the freedom!) and groove out while listening to music. So going from that… to my new living situation was tough. I had a hard time at first, but I adjusted.

My schedule from this semester and last semester have changed a bit. Last semester, I was undeclared, but I geared my classes for the veterinary science or marine biology route. However, this semester, I became an art major. I went from doing loads of work for Chem 90 and Math 113 to spending lots of time on a few art projects. There were lots of differences in my day to day life from this semester and last semester too. Like beforehand, I had Friday off for the majority of the semester. I also started my day earlier due to my 8 am class, however that also meant that I got out earlier in the day. It isn’t like that anymore, I have class everyday. For this article, I had to choose whether I want to share a day from this semester or last semester. This semester seems like the better choice, since I’m actually living it.

Anyhow, let’s get to it! Shall we?

Monday it is! On this day, I have two classes with about a three hour gap in between. This day starts at 7:50 am. My first class starts at 9 sharp, so I have about an hour to get ready. My roommate is still sleeping around this time, so I have to be quiet. Although… sometimes I accidentally close my closet door or the shelves too hard. Whoops.

In the “residential village” I live in, we have a communal bathroom that is shared between my suite and another suite. It’s basically 14 people sharing one bathroom. You’d expect it to be crowded, surprisingly, it isn’t! At most, 4 people are in there. At 8 am, I’m usually there by myself with one or two people quickly entering and leaving. I first wash my face, then wash my teeth, and finally, use the bathroom. I feel so refreshed after leaving, especially if no one entered!

After my bathroom trip, I chose the clothes for the day. Personally, I love to wear something comfy, yet functional. Jeans, a short sleeved tee, and a warm sweater are my go-to items for this weather. I also usually do my bed after dressing. Afterwards, I grab a quick breakfast like yogurt or a rice cake. After that, I’m off to class! I pack my backpack the night before, so I don’t worry about it in the mornings! It also helps since I take the shuttle to class. I’ve tried to take the shuttle before 9:00 am and after 8:30 am since I don’t want to be late. I’m able to get a seat on the bus if I do this! I also like to make small talk with one of our building’s custodial staff. She’s friendly, so I like saying hi to her. Although, sometimes I end up getting behind schedule because of this! It’s better to be prepared, so going to the shuttle stop early is better.

When my class is over, I get back to my dorm around 11 am. Unlike last semester, I’m not able to get breakfast. I can’t sacrifice my beauty sleep, so I have to make do with my yogurts. I drop my bag and head on over to the dining hall. I’m lucky that I don’t have to wait for the dining hall to reopen since lunch time starts at 11 am. On Monday, I eat lunch by myself. Although, for dinner, I eat dinner with my roommate if she’s available.

I never know what I’m going to eat. I could download the menu, but where’s the fun in that? When registering, I got the 10 meals per week pass. It’s the most basic pass, but it serves me well. The dining hall is basically an all you can eat buffet. The employee swipes you in and bam! You’re free to eat! These past three months (as I’m writing this) have been somewhat cold, so I like to get a cup of latte from the coffee machine. I think the coffee machine is one of the best features the dining hall has to offer! If you’re dorming next semester, I recommend the cappuccino or the latte for the cold days. Tea and the other options are good too.

After eating, that usually leaves me with an hour and a half to rest before my next class. I’ve done many things during this period. Like going to Whaley Park (I totally recommend this), or running errands at Target and the bank or cleaning my dorm. For the sake of this article, I will talk about cleaning. I never imagined I would say this, but cleaning is nice (and also necessary). It’s very important to keep your room clean and orderly. If my room were a mess, I would be unable to concentrate! I’m sure it’s like that for many people too. I like to plug in my headphones and play music before getting started. I love listening to Spanish songs because it’s nostalgic and helps me get in the mood!

If I haven’t done it already, I first do my bed. Just doing the bed makes the room seem nicer! After that, I like to get everything off my desk and wipe it down with wood cleaning spray. I wipe down all my stuff before putting it back in its place. On certain Mondays, I also like to clean our minifridge. I empty it out and clean it with a multi-purpose cleaner. I make sure to put perishable foods back in immediately. I also like wiping down any shelves and windows too. Normally, it takes up all my time which is nice. By 1:25 pm, I’m waiting by the shuttle stop to get to my next class.

When I get back, I like to rest in my bed for a bit. I remember being taken aback when I saw my bed for the first time. I knew that the beds were really tall thanks to watching dorm tours and checking official photos. I was prepared. However, seeing it in person is different. The bed is ginormous! Anyways, getting on is easy thanks to my step stool. With my blankets and plushies, my bed is super comfy! I try not to do homework on it, so I go to my desk whenever I need to complete it.

I spend a majority of my time at my desk. The desk that’s provided to us is really nice. It has two big and one long cabinets attached to it, it has a flashlight underneath another shelf. I can store lots of stuff. As I mentioned before, I spend a lot of time here. On Mondays, I work on my sketchbooks for class or on notes. I try to concentrate, but it’s hard sometimes. Many of you readers might find your phone very distracting. To me it is. Instead of studying, I end up watching Netflix while munching on some snacks or scrolling social media. Some Mondays are more productive than others. But hey, cut me some slack! Mondays, am I right?

I hope this article gave you some insight of a student who’s dorming on campus. I had lots of fun writing this article. I may have been busy, but this was a fun experience! Both writing and dorming haha! Oh! One small thing before this article ends. If you’re currently dorming or planning to dorm, please treat the staff with respect! They are the ones who make sure we’re living comfortably.

Thank you to 22 West Magazine for letting me share a day of a dorming student. Thank you to “Kikayoh” for creating a lovely visual to go along with my work. Thank you especially to the readers! As PBS would say, “This was made possible by…[readers] like you!” If you’re currently dorming or planning to dorm, please treat the staff with respect! They are the ones who make sure we’re living comfortably.

Thank you to 22 West Magazine for letting me share a day of a dorming student. Thank you to “Kikayoh” for creating a lovely visual to go along with my work. Thank you especially to the readers! As PBS would say, “This was made possible by…[readers] like you!”