Dorm Tips: 7 Do's And Don'ts

By Kaitlin Hurtado on September 2, 2016

While dorming can seem like the best thing to ever happen to you since the arrival of your college acceptance letter, it does have its fair share of troubles. Here are four do’s and three don’ts to get you one step closer to getting the most out of your first year away.

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Do:

Stock up on food. While dining halls seem like an endless supply of food at your disposal, their doors are usually closed after midnight and unavailable to fulfill your late night snacking needs. If you’re also attending UC Irvine, there’s late-night options like Taco Bell and Jack in the Box at the UTC, but to avoid the notorious Freshman 15 and save your wallet — you shouldn’t.

A personal stash of food is essential for days where dining hall food doesn’t cut it and you’re too lazy to make the trek elsewhere. It also doesn’t hurt to use food as an ice-breaker among roommates and other friends you will meet along the way.

Take advantage of community events. Events often translate to “free stuff” — something that should attract any college student on a budget. There’s always going to be community events designed for college students — free entertainment (gaming tournaments, movie screenings), food, testing supplies (scantrons, blue books), and school merch. Pay attention to notices posted around your community, emails, or ask your RA about new events.

Be aware of shared spaces. Regardless of the amount of space you are used to sharing back home, dorming also means you’re living in a communal area. Bathrooms can be shared with a broad number of people (my suite had 12 girls to one bathroom), all using the bathroom every day and creating messes — intentional or not.

Save any possible passive aggressive behavior among suite-mates – clean up after yourself, respect others’ belongings, and call in a work order the moment you see a clogged shower.

Host study sessions. Libraries and crowded cafés aren’t always the best options for meeting up with a group of classmates to study or work on a project. Depending on the style of the building you’re living in, there’s plenty of options for meeting places — your own room, common room, or your hall’s study rooms.

These sessions will actually motivate you to study and your peers’ presence will allow you to look at your course material with different opinions and views to attack problems from different angles. Rotate your sessions among your group so you can meet other first years out of your own hall and experience different hall themes/atmospheres.

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Don’t:

Overpack. More than likely, you’ll have at least one other person (or more) sharing a very small space. Be aware of the climate you’re going to live in and pack your wardrobe accordingly — you won’t need to be filling your small dorm with bulky winter outerwear when you’re going to be in Southern California weather.

As much as you dream of going to every lecture dressing your best, you’re most likely going to be rotating the same five shirts and two pairs of jeans. When it comes to packing, two words go hand in hand — realistic and minimalistic.

Let the freedom get to you. You’re away from home and constant supervision — it’s new and exciting. You can go wherever you want whenever you want. To match up with your newfound freedom, there’s the responsibility of making sure you get to where you need to be. Always keep in mind that the reason for your freedom is school; you shouldn’t fall behind on your studies and career because you’re spending every night out and about.

Waste your time. If I could sum up dorming in one word, it would be convenient. I was a five to 10 minute walk from all of my classes, my job, and the UTC (shopping center). I was able to roll out of bed and make it into a seat in lecture in the span of 15 minutes if I really needed to. Dorming brings you closer to campus than you will probably be in later years as you move off campus for other housing options.

The close proximity is both a blessing and a curse as you can always go back to your dorm in between lectures for a nap or to catch up on a TV series, instead of going to the library to study or going to an event hosted by a club. There’s an endless amount of possibilities available on campus — don’t be afraid to leave your dorm and look for them.

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