When I think about the many places I have stayed and lived, my freshman and sophomore dorm rooms are not up there amongst my favorites.
Communal bathrooms, smaller rooms and strict policies for signing guests in are only a few things that can make the east side of campus a bit less enjoyable.
After a year of living in Xavier, followed by a year in East Residence Hall, I was completely ready to come to the west side of campus for my junior year.
Although I do love all of the memories and experiences I had on the east side of campus, after just one month of living in West Residence Hall, I am not sure how I ever did it.
Let’s face it; freshman dorm rooms are not exactly glamorous.
I do not think I was the first freshman to take one look at the showers on move-in day and not feel too excited about it. Throwing on a pair of Old Navy flip-flops to take a shower was not the highlight of my days.
Although I got used to the concept of the dreaded “shower shoes,” the freshman and sophomore dorm rooms were loud, and anytime I wanted to have friends from different buildings over, they had to be signed in.
When sophomore year came around, my room in East Residence Hall was larger than my room from freshman year. However, I still did not feel it was enough space for my two roommates and me.
We lived in a hallway with many of our friends, which was nice. However, it still did not feel like we were all living together.
Now that I am living in West, I share a suite-style room with five other girls. There are four spacious bedrooms and a common area with room for couches, chairs and a television.
Most importantly, we have our very own bathrooms and shower. Although I still sport the shower shoes, I no longer have to worry about walking down the hallway in a towel, hoping that I will not have to make eye contact with anyone passing by.
When we have friends from other buildings come over, we no longer have to worry about signing them in or out. Any resident who lives on the West side of campus can scan their Cabrini ID and get into either the apartments or west at any time.
The environment has felt very different so far in west. For the past two years, I was used to seeing people hanging out in the hallways or in the study lounges. Since there is much more room in the suite-style dorms, it is not necessary for people to do that anymore.
One thing that is still taking some getting used to for us is cleaning up our own bathroom. A benefit to living on the east side of campus is having people who will clean your bathroom and replace your toilet paper when needed.
Although the new side of campus has taken some getting used to, I am very happy that after two long years, I finally get to live on the west side of campus.
