During freshman year, moving into your dorm is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking times. It’s often the first time you’re experiencing true freedom from you parents and rules. While you’re probably excited…There’s also a little bit of nervousness. So here are 3 tips to having a great freshman dorm experience!
- Shower shoes. Shower shoes are a MUST! You might have noticed on move-in day that there are only a few showers for approximately 30 people. While you might think a shower would be the cleanest place in a dorm…It’s not. From puke to pee there will be a host of germs on the shower floor. So go get some comfy shower shoes that you’ll never wear after freshman year.
- Keep your door open. One of the biggest worries is making friends freshman year. The dorm is a great place to meet people. However, if you keep your door closed, you’re going to miss out on meeting tons of people. Keeping your door open is the universal symbol for “Come in! I want to hang out”
- Learn to compromise. You will get annoyed at your roommate at some point. Dorm rooms are about the size of a prison cell. When people live that close to for a year, a conflict will arise, and that’s OK! Learning to make compromises will make those challenging moments much smoother.
I hope these three tips ease some of the nervousness and help make your freshman year at UW-Madison amazing!