Parenting Teens

My plans to do college tips got somewhat offtrack but, hopefully, I can still get in a few useful tips for those of you who have teens going off to college for the first time! Today’s tip is about dorm life. Remember good old dorm life?! If you’ve never lived in a dorm (or if it’s been so long you’ve forgotten about it!), share the following with your teen. Also, check out the College page of the Love To Know site. This site has lots more great tips on college life, so be sure to check it out.

Many colleges now require freshmen to live in a dorm room for their first year. It can make it much easier to get acclimated to college life, and is often closer to classes, the library, dining hall, etc., than living off-campus.

One of the first things that many students must get used to is sharing a room. For many teens, college may be the first time in their lives that they’ve had to share a room with someone else. Most dorm rooms these days are set up in one of two ways:

The old standard room for two, featuring two of everything-beds, desks, closets, etc. The room may have a private bath, or a shared bath for all the dorm rooms on a particular floor.

The suite, which generally has two bedrooms housing two students each, with a shared bath and living area. This means that, while a teen will be sharing the bedroom with one other student, the bath and living area will be shared among four students.

Generally, unless a student is rooming with someone he or she knows, they will receive their roommate’s name, address and phone number during the summer. This can give them a chance to get to know one another a little over the phone, as well as discussing whether some items in their room can be shared-such as a microwave, refrigerator, TV, etc. Space in a dorm room is usually at a premium, so if some items can be shared, it will save room for both of them.

Speaking of space, there’s never enough of it! Urge your student to take the least amount of stuff they can live with, at least for the first few weeks. They may need to get a little more organized and creative-with storage containers, closet organizers, under-bed storage, etc. If it all possible, visit the dorm room the summer before college begins. Check out closets, desks, drawer space, etc., and take measurements. This can give you and your student a chance to explore storage options and find out just how much stuff they can accomodate. If the school allows it, building a loft is always an option to create more space.

The dorm will most likely have a Resident Assistant(RA), who is in charge of the dorm floor. The RA serves as a mentor and a resource to the students, helping them with any questions they may have about the dorm, or about college life in general. The RA also serves as a monitor, helping to keep the peace by issuing citations for things like noise violations. The RA will also call floor meetings and plan floor events, which can be fun ways to get to know the other dorm residents. Let your teen know that they should not be hesitant to go to their RA with questions or problems.

With security an ever-present issue, most dorms will require a key to enter the main doors of the dorm, or scanning a student ID to get in. Remind your student never to leave a main door half-open or propped open, as this can allow others easy access to their dormitory. Also, remind them to keep room doors locked.

Most dormitories also have some form of student goverment (like student council in high school). The dorm council helps plan social and educational events for the hall’s residents. Urge your student to get involved in this, if they have time. This can be a great way to get to know other people, and get involved in campus life.

This is only a brief look at dorm life. For more information, go to the website above, and check out your teen’s college website and catalog.

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