Nine Things I Wish I Knew Before Living in the Dorms My Freshman Year
1. The best time to do your laundry is either really early in the morning or late at night.
If you are anything like me, you hate doing laundry and having to wait for it to be done. I found doing my laundry early on Saturday mornings to be the best time to do laundry in my dorm. Going in at 6 am (yes, I know I’m crazy) allowed me to take up multiple machines without annoying other people in your building.
2. While the closets may be big for dorms, you do not need to bring all of your clothes from home.
I brought a lot of clothes with me when I moved to DePaul. I thought I needed to have everything with me just in case, even though I’m an hour away from home. What I should have done is brought my warmer weather clothes and waited until Halloween to switch out my clothes and bring down my winter coat.
3. Buy a pool noodle if you are going to loft your bed and have your desk under it.
One of the first things I did after moving was purchasing a pool noodle. I had decided to move my desk to underneath my lofted bed, and on move-in alone, I probably hit my head on the support bar at least five times. Do your future self a favor and possibly invest the few dollars on one of those.
4. Be prepared for stairs — especially if you living in Corcoran, Seton, or University Halls.
I lived on the third floor of University Hall and had to take the stairs every day. The nice bonus is that you never skip out on leg day, especially when you are doing multiple loads of laundry.
5. Take advantage of meeting new people.
Living in the dorms is a great way to meet the people in your graduating class. Also, don’t feel bad about forgetting people’s names. You are meeting a ton of new faces in a short amount of time. You might end up meeting some of your best friends just down the hall from you.
6. Buy a long phone charger.
Having a long phone charger was a lifesaver as I could continue to lay in bed on my phone without having to move to plug in my phone at the end of the day.
7. Invest in an air diffuser. It’ll help keep your dorm smelling fresh.
I have a distinct memory of walking into my suitemate’s room and it smelling of lemons. Something like this will help make your space feel more like home.
8. Don’t bring your own printer with you.
It is tempting to have your own printer in your room for the convenience. However, there is printing on campus that you already pay for each quarter. There are printers all over campus and in each resident hall. Please save your time and money!
9. Use Public Safety’s Escort Service.
Again, you are already paying for this. Use it as a way to keep yourself safe while coming back from the library or Loop Campus late at night.