Abby LeClercq is a sophomore telecommunications journalism major writes "Abstract Thinking" for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Abby at alleclercq@bsu.edu.
Abby LeClercq
Close your eyes and imagine that you are standing in an all white room with orange doors and one window; approximately 150 square feet in size. There are two beds (each pushed horizontally up against their respective walls), two desks in the center and a big dresser against the wall of the closet beside the mini fridge.
These are my living quarters for the next eight months.
When everything you own is crammed into your little dorm along with all of your roommate's possessions, each individual space begins to fade together. The dresser top holds the TV, makeup and water filters. The desks are filled with coffee cups and every book that your syllabus swore you would need but have yet to crack open. It turns into organized chaos. You may know where everything is, but that doesn’t stop the room from feeling like it’s overflowing.
Every morning, I inevitably trip over twenty things and leave for class with an even worse mood and sore toes. I want to scream every time I have to do laundry, use the bathroom or wash dishes because it requires a one mile trip down the hallway and back with the unavoidable trip in between because you know you’re going to forget your towel or detergent every time.
Going to your room only leaves two real options: lay down and study or sit at your desk and study. There is little to no room for much else, so your dorm essentially becomes a place to eat and sleep. Even the study lounges on each floor are decidedly not useful. The only times I have ever found myself in there were for floor meetings or various floor activities. It is not true to its name in the sense that it is impossible to focus on anything aside from the flickering, old lights while you are in there. It’s such a frustrating feeling when you know there is nowhere in your building you can actually sit and study successfully, so you have to make a gameplan in your head and attempt to find a sufficient place.
While I do overwhelmingly dislike living in my shoebox of a room, it does still have its perks. Not being able to study in my room or the lounges enables me to get out more onto campus and discover my own little place to work. Everything has its place in here and it is very easy to clean up, and for that I am thankful. You may not always love the situation that you are in, but you do need to find the silver lining and make the best out of it.