The dreadful four flights of stairs, covered in old gum and reeking of human urine, are definitely ones I look forward to climbing while drenched in sweat from the 102-degree weather outside. Finally reaching the peak of the Mount Dormitory, I reach into my back pocket to get my taped, barely surviving room key, to enter into the prison that I pay 24,000 dollars to call my home. And for what? Bland, boring walls that remind me of a mental institution. Stained carpet with a pattern that reminds me of the carpet from “The Shining.” Ugly, navy blue couches in the living room that everyone on the floor knows people have had sex on numerous times. I’ve been calling this place my home for the past eight months.
However, there’s another side that is the “stereotype” of college dorms. The ones high school teachers always tell students about to get them excited. It’s the much happier one. The fact that you basically live with just a bunch of your friends all the time. From the late night fast food cravings to the constant bickering and door slamming at five in the morning. These people are the ones that have made my first year in college probably the most memorable in my life.
After a long, never-ending day at either school or work, it’s unexplainable to come home to such a welcoming environment full of kids my age, who also don’t have any idea of who they really are. Kids who are just as confused as I am. Kids who are willing to try or do practically anything to get any sort of idea of who they are or what they want to do with their lives. Kids who know they want to be here, but don’t know just what they are doing yet. This is the “prison” I live in. Everyone just wanders around with a huge smile on their face and a spark of confidence in their eye, but that’s only a disguise to keep everyone else from knowing what they’re truly feeling on the inside. But coming to your own room is like a sanctuary. There is no other feeling of being able to shed that façade that you had on all day and just unwind from all that stress.
But don’t get me wrong. It’s great. It really is. Although it’s hard in a lot of aspects (school, sleeping, peer pressure, etc.), it definitely helps you find out who you really are. Being away from home, parents, and hometown friends is as liberating as stepping out of a bathroom full of girls getting ready for the club. You can finally just take a deep breath, and do what you want to do and not get stuck there. And some even say coming to the dorms, making all these friends, coming to college in general is a great way to become the person you’ve always wanted to be, without being judged by your past actions, previous friends or boyfriends, parents, etc.
After a long, never-ending day at either school or work, it’s unexplainable to come home to such a welcoming environment full of kids my age, who also don’t have any idea of who they really are. Kids who are just as confused as I am. Kids who are willing to try or do practically anything to get any sort of idea of who they are or what they want to do with their lives. Kids who know they want to be here, but don’t know just what they are doing yet. This is the “prison” I live in. Everyone just wanders around with a huge smile on their face and a spark of confidence in their eye, but that’s only a disguise to keep everyone else from knowing what they’re truly feeling on the inside. But coming to your own room is like a sanctuary. There is no other feeling of being able to shed that façade that you had on all day and just unwind from all that stress.
But don’t get me wrong. It’s great. It really is. Although it’s hard in a lot of aspects (school, sleeping, peer pressure, etc.), it definitely helps you find out who you really are. Being away from home, parents, and hometown friends is as liberating as stepping out of a bathroom full of girls getting ready for the club. You can finally just take a deep breath, and do what you want to do and not get stuck there. And some even say coming to the dorms, making all these friends, coming to college in general is a great way to become the person you’ve always wanted to be, without being judged by your past actions, previous friends or boyfriends, parents, etc.
Jennifer Juarez is a student is Professor Marcelo's 114B English class. She is currently a host at a local restaurant named Claim Jumper. She loves to be a social butterfly, never afraid to meet new people.