Dorm Living From the Experts

We asked former dormers Lia Uy-Tioco, who studied Publishing at both Radcliffe and NYU, and Michael Campos, who studied in both the University of San Diego and Harvard, about their lives while living on campus. Here are their answers:

What is dorm life like? Was it a pleasant or rigid atmosphere?
L U: During my first year at NYU, I was at the 26th St. Residence, which had apartment-style units. We had two separate bedrooms and shared a common living/dining area, kitchen, and bathroom. It was actually pleasant, and since most of the students were graduate students, we sort of just went our own merry way. So it was really like living in a regular apartment building except that you needed your school ID to get in and had to go to the lobby to pick up guests.
MC: I lived in a co-ed dorm with students ranging from a variety of age groups and ethnic groups, sexual orientation (the openness of which was welcome since I am gay), nationality, etc. It was exciting at first, a very open community. No curfews!

Were you allowed to cook in your room?
LU: Yup. We had a kitchen, a tiny one, but it was OK. ‘Had to bring own microwave, though, and the ref was tiny.
MC: Nope. Fire hazard. We lived in a nearly 200-year old building. The kitchen was located in the basement and each resident was allotted fridge space for our stuff. I only tried to cook once and that was a disaster! It was macaroni and cheese. It turned out so badly the other dormmates offered to cook for me from then on. It’s really too bad that I chose not to spend more time in the kitchen; that was certainly the social center for the entire dormitory.

What do you like the most about it?
LU: I didn't have to worry about furniture, security, etc. I also had a classmate in the building so we could
swap notes, etc. NYU has a shuttle from school to the dorm so you could save on transportation.
MC: Notables had lived in our Harvard rooms, e.g. Ralph Waldo Emerson (or was it Henry David Thoreau? I forget.) who delivered his speech in the dorm chapel! There were tons of history in that school. I felt deeply privileged to take in that aspect of the school’s life; and speaking of the dorm chapel, it has this wonderful pipe organ which I used to tinker with from time to time. Galing, galing!

What did you dislike the most?
LU: It was really tiny. And when they opened some floors to undergraduates, it got noisy at times. When
the buildings I stayed in were primarily for graduate students, it was good.
MC: People did things on their own as there didn’t seem to be any impetus for us to gather and forge community. I’m not entirely certain if part of this perception stems from the fact that I had come from a seminary where community life was encouraged.

What options do you have if you don't get along with your roommate or you don't like your room?
LU: Not much, really. I was fortunate that I liked my roommate and we got along. But what Pinoys have to remember is not to get diyahe or be afraid to bring up problems. Culturally, we keep silent when certain things bother us. You can't be like that if you are sharing your living space with another person. You have to be upfront about things like cleaning, guests, etc. We should also be considerate about our food which others might find “smelly” and in some cases offensive.
MC: One could always put in a request for room change; that has happened several times with a couple of friends. Another gay friend found his roommate atrociously homophobic. He put in a complaint and within the week, he was given his own room. The key to a happy dorm existence: befriend your dorm proctors, they’ll be really helpful.

What kind of activities did the dorm organizers/RA's have?
LU: TV nights at the basement, etc. But I never really attended anything.
MC: We had intermittent worship services during high liturgical days, weekly tea conversations with the dean. Sometimes we had impromptu dorm parties at the end of the semester. Nothing wild. At the graduate school level, much emphasis was placed upon academics. Some residents initiated and organized study groups during the course of the semester.

Did you go to most of them? Did you have to?
LU: Nope to both questions. But it's good to at least know who your RA is and make sure he/she knows your name too.
MC: One didn’t have to, except for community meetings; all activities were optional. I went to a few.

While at Radcliffe, Lia lived in a dorm with individual rooms for the students but common bathrooms and kitchens. Read her tips on sharing bathrooms and refrigerators in the Cooking, Cleaning, and Laundry section.