Thursday, December 6, 2012

Residence Halls as a Community


One of my biggest fears upon moving into my dorm room at Drew was whether or not I would have a good experience living in a large dorm with a lot of new and diverse people. Although I attended a boarding school, and was used to living away from home, the “unstructured” dorm life felt quite different.  In high school I lived in a single sex dorm with only forty residents and a mandatory “lights-out” policy, strictly enforced at 11pm. This kept everyone on exactly the same schedule. Now, living with over a hundred boys and girls in the dorm, I have been enriched by the diversity of the people around me.  Students from around the world are my neighbors and it is an incredible experience to be exposed to get to different cultures, religions, opinions and viewpoints. In the meantime, I’ve had to adjust and improve my time management skills and study habits.

            One of the most comforting aspects of living in a large dorm is the sense of community and care the residents have for one another. It has been a pleasant surprise to see the dorm community come together so easily to celebrate special events and theme nights such as Halloween, Cantina night, Casino night, and many more impromptu and fun dorm parties. Sharing food and drinks, listening to music, and participating in activities as a group makes me feel as though I’m part of something larger and special.

            I have had such a great experience living in Brown dorm thus far and I really look forward to the festive Christmas season activities and other holiday parties to come. 

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