Simply Serendipitous

Ever wondered what it’s actually like to live in a dorm?  Well, you won’t REALLY know until you actually live in one, but I decided to try to go ahead and give you a taste of it.  Interestingly enough, a quick look back at my day today provides a really good overview of the glaring differences between life at home and life on your own in college.

Today was a pretty uneventful day, I actually didn’t do a whole lot of work because it’s the beginning of the semester and I’m easing into it.  I know when you’re trying to get into a cold pool, you’re supposed to just jump in instead of taking it slowly, but this is one of those days when I decided to throw the metaphors out the window and do whatever I felt like (and ignore what I didn’t want to do).  So, without further ado, here’s what my day looked like.

2:15 AM: go to bed, after several episodes of The Office.  I just started watching it, so I’m trying to catch up.

10:30 AM: wake up.  Get breakfast from Einstein’s bagels, eat slowly.

…? (not sure what I did for awhile.  Probably check news, Facebook,   etc.)

1:30: laundry time.  I had been putting it off for a few weeks, so I had to use three washers.  Plus, Sundays are the busiest days for the laundry room, so it was pretty crowded.  Oops.

2:00: switch the laundry from washers to dryers. Make coffee.  Call a friend from home to catch up.

3:00: bring the laundry upstairs, fold, put away.  Stare out the window.  Realize I have work to do, but continue not to do it.

4:00: I’m hungry.  How about grilled cheese?  Something goes awry and after about 30 seconds on one side, the pan is smoking and the bread is burned black.  The kitchen/living room area is filled with smoke.  Luckily, my suitemate has a sense of humor about the situation.  She also has common sense and opens the windows to keep a smoke alarm from going off.

4:15:  I think I’ll have a peanut butter and jelly instead…Mike, on the other hand, sees no problem with eating a blackened grilled cheese.

6:15: head downstairs to Nolan’s, the dining hall in my building.  They’re having a special menu for the Super Bowl, which includes wings and my favorite, mozzarella  sticks.

7:00: (now) blog-time.

8:00: finally finish the Health Policy homework I’ve been trying to get through? Maybe do some other homework too.

11:00: hot chocolate + The Office.  I’ll try to limit myself to just one episode.  Maybe two.

12:00: shower/bed.  I have a 9 AM class tomorrow, and I’m NOT a morning person.

So, despite my obvious plague of non-productivity, you can also kind of see some of the differences of home life and dorm life.  For one thing, at home, I don’t think I would’ve burned a grilled cheese sandwich.  Just one of the joys of a cheap pan and a finicky stove top.  (I’m really not THAT incompetent of a cook, I promise).  Another thing (you know, the real one I am trying to get at) is the personal responsibilities.  At home, your parents and/or teachers can sort of keep tabs on you.  Some more so than others, but there’s usually some level of accountability there.  In college, the only “keeping tabs” is your grades.  Don’t want to do your work? No problem–you’ll just get  a zero for that assignment.

And with that, I’m feeling like I should probably get on to that assignment.  The semester has started (whether we like it or not) and it’s time to jump on in!  If you have any questions about life in the dorms, feel free to ask them here (in the comments section), or on our message boards.  If you want to peek inside the dorms, check out our Cribs blogs.