Dear class of 2012,

03Aug08

It's all pretty cool.

As you wait anxiously for your dorm decisions, please listen to my words of wisdom about the dorm-ing process. I’ve read your Facebook group. I’ve been amused by your repeated attempts to contact the housing office, who are probably now just witholding the room assignments out of spite.

The summer before college, there is little more exciting than finding out who your roommate is and where you are living. Among all the defining factors of your college experience, these two seem to be the most important. I remember the day my housing information came, and all of the swelling excitement that arose within me as I opened my housing assignment.

And I remember being totally disappointed, and then later realizing all my first impressions were totally wrong.

Two years ago, I (much like you) wanted to have the BEST TIME EVER at college. And I tied having the BEST TIME EVER to being in the BEST DORM EVER which was, obviously, Bobb. And as I scrolled down the page to find my dorm assignment read, for all intensive purposes, “NOT BOBB 0326,” I was crushed. Immediately I began a Facebook stalking frenzy of my roommate, analyzing every picture, favorite TV show, and wall post, mentally analyzing what we would talk about and do together. I discovered this nerdy kid who was majoring in SESP or something equally lame (so I thought) and I became a puddle of sad, disappointed, moping sadness.

One of my friends videotaped his initial facebook stalking of his freshman roommate, counting on it being a really salient point in his life. Well, it was. His initial impression– this horrified, aghast facial expression and subsequent curse words– correlated highly with his roommate relationship throughout the year.

I spent the rest of the summer refreshing my dorm’s Facebook group, friending everyone I could find on my hall, and figuring out who my future friends would be. I pinned one girl down as my new bestie forever, and it turned out I talked to her maybe twice the whole year. My roommate turned out to be pretty chill, most of the time, and a hilarious drunk. Best of all, I still went out at least three nights a week, and usually more — all this from a skanky gross random-ass south campus dorm.

My point is: finding out where you will live is exciting, as is stalking your future roommate. But don’t get caught up in what your dorm and your roommate will mean to the “fun factor” of your freshman year. You make your own entertainment. There are some fucking boring people in Elder, and some ridiculously awesome people down south. And vice versa. A friend who’s an incoming freshman messaged me the other day worrying that she wouldn’t get into her top two choices. For future reference, her top five were:

1. Bobb/McCulloch
2. Elder
3. Allison
4. PARC
5. CRC

Once she hit spot number four she said “I just gave up and put down random dorms because I don’t know anything about NU dorms but now I hear PARC is terrible and I might as well give up any thoughts of ever having sex if I live there.”

So yes, young freshman friend, you will probably end up in PARC or CRC because few freshman actually want to live there so they snap up anyone that marks them down. No comment as to the awesomeness of those dorms (I have never met anyone who lived in PARC, and I have strong opinions about CRC), but guess what, freshman?

You’ll fucking survive, so get over it. Yes, Bobb and Elder and Allison and blah blah blah are fun dorms. But no matter where you live, if you want to go out, you will find people to go out with, and no matter what people say, your roommate does not make your social life. Stalk all you want, but in the grand scheme of things the time you spend analyzing pictures on the internet means nothing. Have fun! Don’t tie yourself down to some misconceived misconception of your dorm.

Love,
Sloane (and Franny G.)

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Tags: boring life, dorms, social life, too much hype