Year 2 in the Dorms

by Kaitlin Bunch (sophomore)

Dorm life is considered by many an essential part of the “College Experience.” Last year I stayed in Umstead Hall with all the other Teaching Fellow and Maynard Scholar freshmen here at East Carolina University. It was a very interesting experience. I had never stayed away from home so long and I had never roomed with someone I did not know. I was one of those kids that did not go to summer camp because I didn’t want to leave home, but once I got to know my roommate I really loved the experience.

This year I am staying in the dorms again. This time I live in an all-girls dorm with someone I went to high school with. This has been really different from last year. My mom told me that it would be difficult living with someone I knew really well and that has proved true in some ways. My roommate is a neat-freak and I am not, I am a night owl and my roommate is not, these are just two examples of things that cause small problems for us. I think that it has been a good learning experience for me. It has been really interesting seeing how two people living together that knew each other before can have more problems than two people living together who didn’t know each other. I am really glad we stayed in the dorms our first year with Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars. It was really great getting to know everyone and was a completely different experience than it has been for me this year. Being in the dorms has been a fun experience and I think that everyone should try it at least once.