Polite Dorm Practices 101

image via www.hamline.edu

Living in the dorms your first year of college means getting to know tons of new people, especially your neighbors. If you want to stay on good terms with them, don’t be “that annoying hall mate” by following some common dorm courtesies.

1) Don’t play your music too loud:

Yes, music is awesome, but not everyone will appreciate you rattling the walls with your EDM cravings. It’s fine to bump some tunes in your room, but keep it at a respectful volume where only the people in your room will be able to hear.

And since you don’t want to annoy your roommates, invest in a pair of headphones so you can always listen to your music and not have to worry about bothering anyone.

I know what you might be thinking: “but if it’s during the day, who cares?” A lot of people take this approach and though it doesn’t seem like it would be annoying, some people might be trying to study or take a nap, and may not really want to hear your music from three doors down.

So if you are debating whether or not to bring your awesome surround sound system to school, it might be best to pass on that one.

2) Respect “sleep hours”:

Most people don’t go to bed until midnight, but make sure to be courteous of your noise and activities after about 11 p.m. on a school night. Don’t be that person who decides to sing off key to Taylor Swift at two in the morning. You might think it’s funny, but your hall mates might not.

I remember during my freshman year there was always this person who decided to play guitar in the hall at around 3 a.m. They were good, but considering I had an 8 a.m. the next morning, I wasn’t all too fond of the morning guitarist.

This is especially important during midterms and finals, because everyone will be stressed out as it is and won’t want to deal with some annoying person who won’t let them focus.

 3) Keep it clean:

You are sharing spaces like the lounges, hallways and bathrooms with tons of people, so make sure to do your part and keep it clean. Don’t leave food in the lounge that will make it smell like something died in there, and make sure to take all your stuff out when you’re done so it’s not in someone else’s way.

The biggest thing that gets messy is of course the bathroom. People like to pour their ramen noodles in the sinks without cleaning out the little carrot and pea bits that end up sitting there for a while, and it makes it really gross for people who want to use the sinks.

I’ve seen sinks full of hair dye as well, the person with the new locks not even attempting to clean it out. There is usually a sink in the laundry room better fitted for hair dye uses, so make sure not to use the one in the bathroom.

Hair monsters also like to grow in the showers. When you shower, try and clean out all your hair that came out so it doesn’t start to form a massive clump by the drain. It’s super nasty to have to shower with a hair monster, and if everyone does their part to clean their own hair, the situation can be avoided.

Toilets can also get pretty nasty. Usually there aren’t plungers for students to use, but if a toilet happens to be clogged, make sure to tell your R.A. or a cleaning staff member, instead of leaving it to reek up the bathroom.

 4) Avoid hooking up with hall mates:

This is one that you really should avoid since it will make things awkward real fast. Especially if the person you hook up with happens to be an R.A. …

Case and point, you don’t want “dormcest” because it will make it awkward for not only you, but also your whole hall if you hang out together.

There are plenty people at your school that don’t live on your hall, and by all means go “get it,” but it is better if you just stay friends with your hall mates.

 5) Don’t screw up the kitchen:

If you are lucky enough to have a kitchen in your dorm building, don’t screw it up! It only takes one incident of burning the couch due to a cooking malfunction and your kitchen rights will be taken away.

Kitchens are a great way to make dorm life more livable, so you should enjoy using it, just make sure to only take what’s yours. If someone else has something in the fridge, don’t be that person who uses it and then doesn’t say a word when they ask about it.

People should be able to store food in there without having to worry about someone else snacking on it in the middle of the night.

Basically, if you respect others and they respect you, your stay in the dorms will be much smoother. Have fun, be courteous, and don’t be that hall mate!