There are many things that a person starting college has to adjust to, one of the most important is dorm life. For most first year students, it is their first time living on their own. There are many pros to living in a dorm, however, there are a lot of cons. For me, one of the things I am struggling with is being away from my pets since pets are not allowed in the dorm. In contrast to being away from my family and friends, I cannot call my cat, Walter and snuggle him and get what I need out of our time together like I normally do. I know that this is a minor thing to be upset by but I love all my animals and miss the comfort of being around them. Another con that I found with dorm life is the very small living area. I am the type of person that cannot be cooped up in a small space for long periods of time so I utilize the spaces around campus that are used by all of the students on campus, like the various lounges that are placed around campus and the lounge that is in my dorm hall. These places have made me feel like I cannot relax, take my shoes off, and put my feet up like I would in the living room of my own house. That is one of the many things I am struggling with.
Although there are a lot of cons that I have found in living the dorm life there are also some amazing pros that I would not trade for anything in the world. Because of dorm life, I have been able to enjoy the freedom of living on my own without all of the struggles of living in an apartment. I like this new found freedom that I have; it makes me feel like I am in control of my life, and I like having control. Another positive thing that has come out of dorm living is the friendships that I have built with the people across the hall and in other buildings. I feel a natural connection between us, and I like that we can hang out for however long we want and where we want. Although dorm life is hard for many, myself included, I can still see the positives of being away from home.