The highs and lows of living in a Penn State dorm

Living in a college dorm is an experience to say the least. It is one of the only times that you are surrounded by people of your own age with similar goals in mind: have as much fun as you can while not failing out of school. Some people look back on their days in the dorm with the fondest of memories, while some try to simply forget that they ever even happened.

Regardless of your dorm room experience we have put together a list of the highs and lows of living in a PSU dorm to help you relive the glory days.

Low: The bathroom situation. One of the most notoriously awful parts of everyone’s college experience, the showers are barely big enough to fit in.

High: Living within minutes of all of your best friends. Whether it is early morning or late at night you always have the option of walking down the hall to find someone to hang out with.

Low: The very small bedroom – Fitting all of your belongings on your side of the room is a challenge. It starts to feel like your room is not filled with your clothes/furniture, but just clutter.

High: Campus meal plan – Living on campus also comes with the perk of having a campus meal plan. This means that you get a 65% discount off of the dining commons while commuter meal plans only get a 10% discount.

Low: Having an RA – They are there to make sure that you are kept safe, but if you get an extremely strict RA they will write you up for being too loud during quiet hours. Regardless, make sure that you stay on their good side.

High: Your roommate – You will always have someone to eat every meal with and keep you sane when the college work load gets too stressful. Your roommate is someone to help you get through the lows of college dorm life.

Low: The noise – Living on a floor with 40 other people can sometimes get complicated. Just because you are taking a nap in your room doesn’t mean that your hallmates are going to suddenly stop being loud.

High: Theres less to clean – A smaller room means a much smaller area that you are in charge of keeping clean.

Low: Using shower flip flop s-Wearing shoes in the shower is just a part of the college dorm deal.

High:It’s a social setting – Living in a dorm room is a perfect way to meet new people, everyone is in the same boat and for the most part everyone is looking to make friends with you.

Low: No candles – Who doesn’t love lighting a nice candle while hanging out in their room. They make the room smell good in seconds and create a relaxing vibe. Too bad if the RA sees them you could get written up.

High: Vending machine – Most of the buildings keep vending machine filled with all different snacks and drinks in their lobby. You never have to travel too far for a midnight snack.

Low: No home cooked meals – Dorms are not equipped with a stove or oven and living in a dorm room has us missing our parent’s Sunday dinners.

High: Helps you focus on school-  Living in a dorm eliminates some activities that you would be in charge of if you lived in a house or apartment. When living in a dorm you don’t have to worry about cooking dinner or cleaning dishes.

Low: Swipe Access – Dorm rooms require us to have swipe access on our school IDs in order to get into our residence hall. If you quickly go outside and forget your swipe you can end up waiting for a while until you can get someone to let you back in.

High: The mini fridge/microwave combo – Most dorms come with a microfridge, which can be exciting for students whose parents wouldn’t let them keep one in their rooms at home. Not to mention the freezer fits exactly two Creamery ice cream containers.

Low: Distractions – You are always surrounded by people and activities. Your work load is different than your friends, it’s important to not get caught up in the fun if you have to study for an exam.

But no matter what, it’s a right of passage and once you’re an upperclassman you will look back fondly on living in that shoebox of a room.