Balance.

Choices

Picking a college to attend is important, but almost just as important is picking the perfect dorm. Western Washington University, located in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, provides students with housing options that ease their transition into college. For myself, I found that perfect balance in a dorm known as Ridgeway Kappa, a lively area of campus surrounded by other dorms.

Good

A resident hall needs to be the perfect balance to meet all needs of each individual student. For myself, those needs included a quiet place to study, a fun place to take breaks and meet new people, and a location that was central to campus and also the greater Bellingham community. Ridgeway Kappa has done a great job in being that place for myself, and so many other residents who live within the building.

Kappa is nestled in the middle of the Ridge, right next to the dining hall and tennis courts. It’s brick exterior, surrounded by trees and a smell of forest often makes the building feel like a treehouse. It’s four floors are filled with residents. When you walk through Kappa, you can almost always hear people talking, laughing, or playing music. The comforting vibe of the building is felt immediately.

Balance

The hardest part of college is finding time to get everything you want to do done. This year, I have realized the importance of time management and balance like never before. Between homework, sports, jobs, and friends, I often find myself so caught up in the motions of day to day things. Having a good balance of all aspects of life can be hard, but once that balance is found, it makes your college transition much easier.

More Pros

As a resident, I think that Kappa has met all my needs in all areas of my life. To start, when I need to really just focus and get work done, I can shut my door and get homework done. But, if there are people in the room or I am having a hard time focusing, then I can head to one of the many “mini” lounges within my floor or the other floors where there are no distractions. In addition, the people who were once just strangers in my same building have quickly become some of my closest friends. We enjoy each other’s company but also respect each other’s space. A perfect example of this is on Sunday nights, when the fourth floor all does homework and helps each other study for about two hours, and then we reward ourselves after by heading down to the lounge and watching Harry Potter on the big projector. Sunday night studying and Harry Potter movies have quickly become a tradition for myself and my friends.

Here To Help

As mentioned previously, Kappa helps residents achieve a balance of different aspects. Five different RA’s live throughout the building to keep residents safe, implement the rules, and make sure we are happy. The RA’s have numerous responsibilities, such as quarterly goal setting with residents, room checks, running events, and also making sure residents are abiding to all rules. For example, my friends and I were all hanging out in someone’s room on a school night. One friend was playing their guitar; the others, including myself, were singing and enjoying one another’s company. A couple hours passed, and all of a sudden it was 11:30 PM. We were having such a good time that we didn’t realize it was thirty minutes passed quiet hours. We suddenly heard a knock on the door, and a faint “RA on duty” came from behind the door. My friend closest to the door quickly opened it. We all became silent, worrying that we would get written up for being loud and not following the rules. However, the RA on duty kindly reminded us that it was quiet hours, and asked if we could keep it down. We all nodded in agreement. He then said “have fun guys!” and left.

The RA’s that occupy Kappa are not trying to get anyone in trouble. They are simply there to remind us of the rules. We were being loud, and probably disruptive to our hall mates. Luckily, the RA was just there to remind us of the rules, and help us realize that it was a school night and we should probably be going to bed.

Community

Pick any given floor, and you will meet a diverse range of people. Residents come all over, such as Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, Minnesota, and even Canada. Each student has different interests and hobbies, and individual personalities. Despite different backgrounds and interests, we all seem to get along and enjoy one another’s company. We all have different schedules, different homework, and different things going on, but one thing that unites us is we all live together and are all just trying to maintain that balance of fun and work. The sense of community felt in Kappa is awesome, and that is one of my favorite things in living in this specific residence hall.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that college students need balance. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you go to school- a successful student knows how to manage their time and utilize their sources. Ridgeway Kappa is the perfect place to live as a freshmen, because it helps create balance within a student’s life. Whether you’re looking for a place to study, meet new friends, or explore the area you live in, Kappa provides new students with the perfect foundation for a great year.