posted by Wafa K.
Welcome to my home on campus! I live in Wolman Hall, which is right across from the Beach and the library, and sandwiched between McCoy Hall (which houses sophomores) and the Charles Commons (which houses mostly
sophomores and juniors). Wolman is a suite-style dorm – so we live in three or four people suites with our own bathroom and a kitchenette to share.
Those are the two most attractive amenities that make Wolman a really coveted housing option for freshmen. They are the biggest reasons why I wanted to live in Wolman, because I like to cook and come from a really hardcore organic food family and so college campus food and I don’t exactly see eye to eye. It is exceptionally nice not to have to leave my suite to go shower, and to only have to share it with three girls as opposed to an entire hall. But, we are responsible for cleaning it, as well as the kitchenette!
I live in a single in Wolman, so I have yet to experience the roommate situation that most freshmen deal with. I have three fantastic suitemates, however, and the dynamics there are pretty similar. During the summer before your freshmen year, you are sent loads of information about the three options for housing (Wolman, AMRs and Buildings A and B), and you rank them based on your preferences, and also what rooming situation you’d prefer (single, double, or (very rarely and only in Buildings A and B) a triple). You also fill out a mini-survey so that Housing can match roommates – you can request a roommate (not suitemates!) but most people find that going random ends up being a great experience.
My bed, which was lofted for the entire first semester, was de-lofted to be a quarter-loft for this semester. That means that two drawers stacked can fit underneath the bed, and I have three of my four drawers under my bed. I also have tons of storage underneath my bed and at the foot of the bed – my stacked boxes from Target are amazing and at $12 a steal! My wardrobe is next to my desk, and has my 20-year-old television on top of it (and it’s three channels are still going strong thanks to the makeshift hanger-turned-antenna my friend made me). My desk is blocking the only window in the room because it faces other rooms and is blocked by Charles Commons, so I get NO natural light, which is a bit of a bummer, but I spend a lot of time outside so I reap the benefits then.
I decorated my room with pictures of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings, pictures of family and friends, paintings and drawings from my artistically accomplished friends, and cut outs from magazines that I like. I actually have more stuff on my wall here than my bedroom at home, but that is because my room at home is painted a gorgeous lavender color so it doesn’t need many additions.I also have my own mini-refrigerator to hold the groceries I bring from home, and a mini pantry in my drawers.
Living in a dorm is a completely eye-opening experience, and it adds a lot to the first year of college. It is, however, most likely completely different from the notion that many prospective students may have – so be open to that variance.
And here is my CRIBS video! I have to give a shout out to my camera-woman, JHU_Saznin who is basically amazing
I LOVE YOU WAFA!!! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU IN ORIENTATION '09!!
Posted by: Enrique Cannavaro | Monday, March 30, 2009 at 11:11 PM