Current students offer a list of useful tips to heighten the dorm living experience for incoming freshmen. | Courtesy of Audrey Goldberg
We asked underclassmen for their best advice to incoming freshmen on dorm room living. Here’s what they had to say:
Hide your food:
“Put all food into your fridge if you have an open window near your room because a squirrel got into my friend’s room and ate bread. The squirrels are so agile and should honestly be feared.”
—Melanie Bow, College sophomore
Mattress pads are a must:
“Invest in a quality mattress pad; you’ll be spending a third of your time at Penn in bed and ... Penn doesn’t provide us with Tempur-Pedic mattresses but instead opts for something that’s a slight step up from a literal plastic box.”
—Shiv-Louis Van de Ven, Wharton and College freshman
Just do your laundry:
“Don’t wait until you run out of clean clothes to do a load of laundry. You can only rock the pajama look for so long.”
—Audrey Goldberg, Wharton freshman
Caffeine is caffeine, no matter where it’s from:
“Your Keurig can wait until next year because right now you’re on a meal plan that provides equally bad coffee for free.”
—Ari Goldfine, College freshman
Take care of yourself:
“Take care of your body and avoid getting sick. Take precautions and always wash your hands because germs spread very quickly in dorms.”
—Abby Anmuth, Engineering freshman
Don’t be a stranger:
“Make friends with your hall. It makes hanging out in your common room easier and lets you feel comfortable hanging outside of your room.”
—Benner Rawley, College freshman
Don’t overestimate the size of your dorm:
“I came to college with furniture and chairs I thought would fit in my dorm because I really didn’t look at the measurements at all but then once I got here I had to buy completely new stuff. So maybe look at the measurements beforehand and plan ahead.”
—Madi Kahn, College freshman
Be in the Quadrangle:
“No matter how nice the New College House is, nothing can beat the beauty of waking up in the Quad every morning.”
—Harry Troche, Engineering freshman
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