Dorm living can either be a ton of fun or it can be extremely difficult. In most cases, it’s a little bit of both, but if you know how to prepare yourself, you can definitely kick the fun ratio up a notch or two. You just have to know how to create certain habits and get yourself ready for a major shift in living arrangements. Here are 5 ways to prepare yourself for dorm living.
1. Invest in a Pair of Flip Flops
When you live in the dorms you’re going to have to share a bathroom with a lot of people, often it will be everyone who lives on your floor. This means that you will all be using the same showers, and if you want to avoid getting any kind of foot infections you’re going to want to get yourself a pair of flip flops. A cheap plastic pair of flip flops can really spell the difference between happy, healthy feet, and itchy, infected feet.
2. Learn how to Pick Up After Yourself
If you’re living in the dorms, then there’s a good chance you haven’t yet earned ACU’s conflict resolution degree, which means that you’re going to have to resolve all of your conflicts with your roommate like a normal person. One of the best ways that you can avoid conflicts is by making sure that you always pick up after yourself. Leaving dirty clothes and dishes lying around is never acceptable and if you don’t take that seriously then you’re going to find yourself caught up in a lot of unnecessary drama.
3. Label Your Groceries
Another source of conflict between roommates is the refrigerator and food cupboard. If you make a habit of labeling all of your groceries with your initials, then you can easily solve a lot of disputes over whose jar of peanut was left out, and whose bottle of apple juice is going bad. If you don’t adapt this simple habit, you could waste a lot of time and emotional energy on petty arguments.
4. Meet Your Roommate Online Before School Starts
If you want to break the ice with your roommate well ahead of time, then you should definitely try to get to know one another long before your move-in date. You can start emailing or following one another via social media to get an idea of each other’s vibe. If you have any concerns or rules that you want to lay out ahead of time, you can avoid a lot of awkward and frustrating incidents down the road.
5. Get a Pair of Ear Plugs
There are several reasons why you will want a good pair of ear plugs for your dorm. When you share a room with someone you don’t always have the same sleeping habits, and you don’t always want to hear what they’re doing. You will also have several other coeds living in your building who may want to play loud music, or they may just stay up late talking and laughing. Either way, a good pair of ear plugs can solve a lot of potential conflicts.
