Students discover ups and downs of residence halls

This year a new crop of kids hauled their possessions into their new rooms and began the new experience of dorm life.

As I look back on my own two years of life in the residence halls, I can only say that with all of its quirks, dorm life was fun and I could never replace the experience or the people.

But now that I live outside the dorm, on my own, with no rules, it is easy to romanticize about the past.

This year's bunch had its share of likes and dislikes concerning the residence halls. Of course, each dorm has its pluses and minuses, so here's the low down on the different dorms.

JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily LSA Junior Michael Wilson studies political science.

Abby Clark, a freshman in Mosher-Jordan, had nothing but compliments for her living situation. Clark is especially grateful for the Big Sister Program in the Women in Science and Engineering Program, how easy it is to get help and how nice everyone is.

Dana from South Quad talked about how convenient it is to be located on Central Campus and the beauty of stackable furniture.

Students from Bursley are bitter about taking the bus to class. They also complain that if they want to stay out late on the weekends it's a pain to get home.

Elizabeth from Markley said, "It's nice to have a lot of people around you, but it's not home."

Micheal Stromayer, a Resident Advisor in the Bursley Residence Hall discussed how inspiring it is to see so many people of different backgrounds come together.

"I can't begin to say how awesome it is to watch the transition of students after the first few days and the jelling of the community in the residence halls," Stromayer said.

Students generally agreed that the food could be better, students have to be considerate of others and sharing a bathroom is not the most fun part of the dorm.

But residents are happy there is always someone to hang out with, they don't have to cook for themselves and if they lose their keys, there is someone who can help them out.

Students are impressed that they don't feel out of touch, because the dorm staff seems to circulate a lot of information.

With all of its upsides and downfalls, life in the residence halls is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is hard to forget.

09-16-99