Quick Tips to Survive UF Dorms
“It’s a jail cell just deal with it — it’s never going to be the ritz.“ — Joanna, from the NS4L team
By Brooklyn Carey
Some UF dorms are reasonably nice others were built before the invention of sliced bread. There are ways to help make your situation better. I made them into a list here.
1. Dorm Decorating
On that note, when you move into these dorms, bring in some personalization. You need to make sure that the room is comfortable for you because it needs to be a place where you can recharge and relax. I suggests placing some pictures from friends and family from home, the familiar faces make adjusting to your dorm easier and can be conversation starters for new friends.
Here are some dorm decorating tips from HGTV
2. Cleaning
Go to Sam’s Club for cleaning supplies and buying cleaning supplies that you are going to share in bulk with your roommates and split the cost — will be cheaper and last you longer.
Also, when it comes to cleaning, try to set aside a couple hours in the morning on Saturday or Sunday each week to deep clean the dorm. It makes your living area a much healthier enviornment and makes daily cleanup during the week much easier to bear.
3. Community Bathrooms
Having a community style bathroom is awkward at times- get a shower speaker to ignore that.
5.Roomates and Making Friends
Be reasonable your roommate is getting used to living with another person just as much as you are. There are going to be things that they don’t realize are invasive or annoying- and you’re not coming out of this completely innocent either. Talk about boundaries early it helps a lot down the road and make sure that your roommate that you are open to hear their comments.
If you want to get along with your roommates, don’t do this.
Just talk don’t be passive aggressive about it. Talk about what you are getting annoyed with when you start to get heated abou tit. Don’t let it eat you up and then just blow up on your roommate when you can’t take it anymore; they most likely don’t know what they are doing is bothering you. If it is bothering you, don’t beat around the bush just say that it is. If you are open to talking about it instead of approaching them aggressively it is more likely to end well.
Here is a list of things to do on and off campus with your new friends!
6.Get to know your neighbors- they may help you out in a time of need or can be great meal buddies.
Leave your door open to make more friends. The first couple days of classes get a door stopper for your dorm room door and while you are studying inside leave it open. It invites people to come talk to you and allows you to meet new people much more easily. It will feel awkward at first but you’ll quickly be known as one of the friendly people in your dorm other students will want to hang out with or talk to.
Attend RA events to get to know other people in your dorm- at first. During the first couple of weeks at school a lot of the people in your dorm will be using these to meet one another. Its a good way to get to know people in your dorm and once you have those connections you don’t have to attend the events anymore to meet people. It’s a good stepping stone to meeting new people so don’t throw it out initially.
7. Keys
Keep your key on you at all times cause your roommates not always going to be there to let you in. I suggest getting a lanyard.
Protip: lots of organizations that visit campus give out “swag” a lot of the time there are lanyards there that if you talk with them they will let you have.
Head to Turlington or to Plaza of the Americas and approach the tables and look out for them there.
8. Laundry
Get a laundry bag that you can put on your shoulders if you are far from the laundry room. It will make lugging your laundry back and forth wayyyyyy easier especially when you have to take your detergent and fabric softeners with you.
Don’t forget to check out my other article: First Year Guide to Gator Nation
