A floor lamp. A Magic Bullet blender. Handfuls of hangers. Two storage ottomans. Unopened bulk packages of trail mix and granola bars, ziplock bags, and dish detergent. Towels and a bathrobe. A popcorn machine. Costume ladybug wings. Four fans of different sizes. Slightly sticky but gently used Tupperware, pots, and mixing bowls. This is just…
My first week of college, I walked in on my new next-door neighbor in the shower. In my defense, the door wasn’t locked, there wasn’t a towel hanging over it, and somebody was in the other shower in our communal bathroom, so there was no way I could’ve known. But that doesn’t make it less awkward.…
I’m pretty sure I would be the world’s worst RA. Resident Assistants are students who live alongside other students in college dorms to enforce rules and plan floor events and answer questions about how many posters you’re allowed to have on the wall. My RA has to periodically do “outreach,” which basically means coming to your…
Are you a high school senior wondering how to college? Become a pro in 7 easy steps! 1) Stress over registration. 2) Never do your reading. 3) Dread every group project ever assigned…ever. 4) Avoid laundry at all costs. 5) Only eat foods that are 1) cheap 2) unhealthy 3) easily prepared in your dorm.…
The Fear of Missing Out. People in the media have been buzzing with this word for a few years now, especially in critiques of millennials and their dependence on social media that supposedly leads to FOMO. And the media isn’t wrong: constantly seeing online what your friends and acquaintances are doing in real life can lead to…
One side of my dorm’s building faces the parking lot, and the other faces a vast expanse of woods. My room is on the latter side, which means two things: I miss out on beautiful Ithaca sunsets. My people-watching ability is hindered. But it also means that I have plenty of deer-watching opportunities. In fact, there’s a…
I love prospective students. From my dorm window I can see the soon-to-be college freshmen huddling in small tour groups, listening to the obscure facts rapidly spewing from their guide’s mouth and trying to discern which slivers of information makes my college more special than any other medium-sized liberal arts college in the mid-Atlantic region.…
The florescent-lit basement lounge of my dorm is an interesting place, to say the least. It’s a little bit overwhelming to all my senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste. Here’s what I am experiencing. I see: an old microwave, with :30 left on it (because why press the clear button?) a rice cooker that…
My second semester of college has just started, and being back on campus has made me think about the college experience as a concept. I’m sorry, who decided that throwing together a bunch of confused sort-of adults into living, working, going to school, and partying in the same small space was the best recipe for…
Victim to Charm 