A Countdown Back to College – Looking Back at My Freshman Dorm

My freshman year experience all started with my dorm.

This is where I would be spending majority of my time sleeping, studying and socializing. Of course, I did not realize that at the time! Most people will tell you how awful and cramped the dorm rooms are, how you will need to get used to walking far distances, and how communal living is a hot mess.

But through my experience, all of that was a big fat lie. Let’s focus on debunking these dorm room assumptions.

Lets begin with location!

Room 1820, on the first Co-ed Floor of Mertz, my first college dorm. Mertz is not only a super social dorm, but also located very conveniently close to campus! I made a bad call when doing laundry right before to class, and I made it from the 18th floor to Mundelein in an impressive 6 minutes.

Good things come in small packages?

In terms of sizing, as a chronic claustrophobic, I felt my dorm was actually very spacious. In my dorm, we could comfortably throw in an extra person and set of furniture, and still have breathing room. My roommate was way more low maintenance then I was, so I was super happy taking in the extra space.

Neighbor or traitor, how does communal living work out?

And finally, communal living was not the horrible nightmare I expected it to be. Rather then a never ending sleepover with strangers, it felt more like vague cousins that lived with you . While we did have our moments (we had some very prominent personalities that could not get along), we all were close pretty close knit. Since I am a huge nerd, I fell into place with the Night Owls who stayed up until 2 am every night doing homework in our shared space.

Ultimately, dorms are not as overrated as people tend to think! I think its very important to have it capture your personality, and be a space designed for you and your needs in college.

Older Amanda still loves going on Pinterest looking at apartment décor nowadays, but nothing compares to the excitement of Baby Amanda planning her freshman year dorm! You are given several options to pick from regarding your room: Single, Double, Triple, or Quad; Bunk Beds, Junior loft, or Senior loft; the possibilities are endless!

I got lucky! I had a double with a high loft bed in Mertz on the 18th floor. I had the gorgeous sunset view, but I did spend a lot of time staring at the east view of the lake.

This is how I chose to design my dorm!

Not only did I love how color coordinated my room is (again type – A planner who relishes in perfect details), but I also loved how much of a conversation starter it was. During Welcome Week, I meet most of my friends from just running around, exploring everyone’s dorms.

Also important in your dorm is a plan for snacks!

And finally, a quick brag of how beautiful my view was: