After leaving high school many young people move into different living environments, and have to learn to live completely different code of standards within their own homes, something many don’t adapt to very easily, particularly women. As if the changes after high school aren’t enough, girls have to adapt from their single bedroom, full size bed, and personal bathroom to a room the size of their closet but built for two. No worries though, dorm dwellers, commune commoners, and sorority sisters. I am providing you with a complete “How To” guide to living well with others.
I know exactly how this transition feels. I left my comfortable home for college, thinking I was only leaving behind high school. It only took one step into my new dorm room to make me understand what I was really leaving behind: space. I heard stories about cell blocks at the county jail being more spacious, and on top of it all I had to share a bathroom with ten other girls. Then, only a year later, I moved into a sorority house with 70 other women. My personal vanity, queen-sized mattress, and walk-in closet at home would never believe the things I have had to tolerate. However, I have endured enough to consider myself an expert on the issue and am willing to pass my knowledge onto those in need.
To survive community living, one must have a friendly attitude, a shower caddy, a lighted mirror, dry erase boards and markers, and power strips. Getting used to this style of living usually takes about two weeks, but has been known to take up to a month. There isn’t much preparatory work to be done; to adapt one must jump in with both feet.
When twenty women share one bathroom, it is a guarantee that mirror space will be limited for each woman’s grooming needs. To best divert this traffic, bring a lighted free-standing mirror. Any desk or tabletop can be transformed into a makeup counter, eliminating overpopulation in the bathrooms. The light is bright enough to see yourself in the dark, but not so bright as to wake a sleeping roommate. In addition to the mirror, I would suggest bringing extra power strips to plug in blow dryers, curling irons, and hair straighteners.
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