This year I’ve cut all ties to on-campus housing and finally moved into my first apartment. Exciting, I know, but the first day in my new home made me feel nostalgic about life in the dorms.
Dorm life may not seem as exciting as a college apartment, but the experience is unforgettable, and compared to my new Kelton Avenue abode, it sure seems like less of a hassle.
Just as I was sitting down to my first meal with my three roommates, fresh from unpacking all the necessities of another year in Westwood, our manager knocked on the door, and with a smile on her face, politely told us that our rent was already late.
Welcome to apartment life!
Along with an unfortunately timed payment deadline, I was welcomed by a dysfunctional dishwasher, warped doors that are prone to trap unsuspecting visitors in the bathroom, kitchen cabinets with no knobs, an oven that burns at the back and undercooks at the front, and to top it all off, the refrigerator door is missing its handle.
Those of you who have already taken the plunge into the realm of kitchens and living rooms certainly know that apartment life is not simply about devoting your dining room table to beer pong; there’s more to it than that, more responsibility. But that night, I couldn’t help missing my seemingly simple life in the dorms.
It’s true; I miss the dorms, especially grimy old Hedrick Hall with its confined spaces and communal bathrooms, my home for the last two years.
All these problems with my apartment got me thinking about what a unique experience dorm life really is. Students can put aside tasks like cooking, dishwashing and paying separate cable and electricity bills, and concentrate on enjoying their time with their fellow Bruins.
So, for you freshmen shoehorned three at a time into a room designed for two, enjoy this experience. You’re a bit cramped, but this makes for a great excuse to escape from those bunk beds that seem to close in on you and hang out in the lounge or at Sunset Rec instead.
A great thing about overpopulated dorms is that there are almost always doors open. Venture through the halls and pop in for a chat here and there.
Community bathrooms can seem strange at first, but there’s something about having a conversation while brushing your teeth that makes for a unique bonding experience. And a fantastic cleaning staff is an added bonus that I admittedly took for granted.
Floor dinners are another great way to make the most of dorm living. Some of the best conversations I had with my floormates happened over eclectic meals of pasta primavera and Cheerios.
And even just hanging out in the halls late at night can yield unexpectedly fun times.
There is a wealth of experiences to be had during your days in the dorms. After two years there, I realize those experiences have constituted some of the best in my life. Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye and move on.
So that first day in my apartment, confronted suddenly by real life, I felt the same way many freshmen felt upon entering the dorms: reluctant to leave my old familiar lifestyle behind and anxious about what lay ahead.
But if I learned anything from those years in Hedrick Hall, it’s that I had to throw myself wholeheartedly at the experience to get the most out of it. No holding back, no wishing for my own bedroom at home (or at least minimal wishing), and no being antisocial on a Friday or Saturday night. Armed with a positive attitude, I met dorm life head on and got to know some incredible people along the way. My best friends here at UCLA are people I lived with that first year on Hedrick 5 North. And now, two years later, I’m living in an apartment with three other friends whom I first met at a floor dinner in Hedrick Dining Hall.
The dorms have played an important role in my life just as living at home has undoubtedly shaped the lives of the freshmen entering the dorms this year. But now, both the newcomers to the dorms and I are setting out to meet new experiences with the benefit of old experiences to guide us along the way.
So an oven that cooks unevenly, warped bathroom doors and a dysfunctional dishwasher are all new experiences to take in stride (and to fill out a work order for). Life in the dorms was entirely unique, and now apartment life awaits.
E-mail Fitzpatrick at cfitzpatrick@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.