By: Keely Betenson
Fall is officially upon us as the summer comes to a close. As students scurry to pack their totes with college essentials and begin browsing for places to stay, there may be certain aspects they either overlook or simply don’t know. In order to fully understand the what, where and why of moving into a new “home,” I interviewed upperclassmen staying on or near campus.
Here is what they have to say about the first year of college life.
“Don’t bring too much stuff. Don’t do it, ” said Destiny Gregory, an OU senior in Gaylord College.
Gregory said that a lot of freshmen overpack their belongings for their dorms, leading to clutter. Maybe they brought extra pillows, a huge bedside table or sometimes even a fridge. Depending on where you decide to stay for the year you may not have enough space for extra commodities. Especially when it comes to furniture. Most dorms are pre-furnished and typically contain closets, dressers, desks and beds for each resident.
Gregory suggests that early preparations can help reduce clutter in a dorm room.
“Don’t be afraid to introduce yourselves to your roommates; reach out so you guys don’t both buy the same thing,” Gregory said.
Not only should you pack light but it is a necessity to communicate with your roommates in order to prevent having double the trouble. Yes, a fridge blocking your walkway is bad, but two? That’s something you would expect in The Shining. Like Gregory says, communication is key.
“I think anything is possible as long as you set the ground rules beforehand and make sure that you both understand each other’s boundaries,” Evan Whitaker, a Gaylord senior, said.
Speaking of communication, when you have troubles with your new bunk buddy it is always best to come directly to them to sift through troubles. Maybe they’re messy or they leave the lights on. Whatever happens, the best way to solve these issues is to bring it to them directly to prevent any further escalation. In cases where these cannot be solved, your RA can be your best friend.
Sometimes the quality of your stay may not be based on the people: it could be the place itself.
Jacob Rivera recalls that he specifically enjoyed certain dorms over the other. Rivera stayed in Couch Center as a freshman, and even though it is one of the oldest buildings on campus to stay in, was extremely enjoyable to Rivera. He had many friends in the building and had numerous opportunities to enjoy himself while staying there. Later on in Rivera’s collegiate career, he lived in an apartment at Traditions. Rivera’s’s nostalgia for Couch is based on the friendships he made, the cooking skills he learned and its proximity to Gaylord College.
“Couch was really fun and eco-friendly,” Rivera said, referring to the fact that he could walk to his classes in Gaylord.
When it came to their OU encounters overall, all three students gave quite high ratings. Rivera recalls his time as a 10/10, Gregory said it was a solid 7/10 and Whitaker rates his experience an 8/10.
“I really hope I get to work here some day and get a chance to change lives,” Rivera said.
The reason behind Rivera’s 100% satisfaction relates to how warm and welcoming OU was to him in general. He made friends along the way and had a good stay. His experience as a Sooner was positive and he is proud to be the first in his family to pursue higher education and to finish college.
“It’s kind of taught me to be more independent and how to rely on the people I’m close to,” Gregory said.
While Gregory may have had troubling experiences with roommates at times, she was able to work her issues out through words and ended her first years on campus with a bang. Overall, she enjoyed her time living on campus even though she had some minor faults when it came to residency and the price of staying on campus.
“I just love OU. Boomer Sooner!” Whitaker enthusiastically declared of his satisfaction with OU.
Whitaker was able to become involved with many interesting opportunities as a student at OU, one of those being the task of being president of NABJ, and the chance to live in Headington Hall with fantastic company.
Not only do students love it here, but so do the ducks. OU’s Bizzell Memorial Library houses a tight-knit family of peckish fliers who spend their time welcoming those studying and pandering for crumbs. If any questions about campus not mentioned come to mind, be sure to check these fellas out as they have been residing here for years now.
In order to comfortably enjoy the OU experience, it is important to be involved in the community on campus and strive to make new friends and connections. OU offers many different types of clubs and organizations to find similarity ranging from something as silly as the Lettuce Club to as stern as the American Marketing Association.
As Whitaker said, “Boomer Sooner!”
https://www.ou.edu/housingandfood – University of Oklahoma Housing
