For many incoming students, coming to Northwestern will mark the first time they ever lived in a residential hall given Northwestern’s two year live-on requirement. Students who grew up sharing rooms with a family member or having their own room suddenly find themselves having to share a room with a stranger. While living in a Residential Hall can be scary, it also can be fun and exciting, especially for those not familiar with it. Even though I was part of the small population of students that had been in residential hall-type living before (summer programs, camps, etc..), Northwestern marked my first long term stay in a residential hall. With my first year done, I’ve collected a perfect list of tips on residential hall living that would benefit incoming or even prospective students.

Tip One: Personalize your res hall

While bringing decor is not necessary by any means, it helps make your room in your residential hall feel like your true “home away from home.” While dorm decor can be expensive for some First Generation Low Income (FGLI) students or a burden to others, even small things like having a stuffed toy from your childhood or items you already have can help personalize your dorm. One of my favorite things to decorate my room with was family pictures I took from home or items like movie tickets that reminded me of back home. Throughout the year, I would add succulents to my room that I would get from student organizations on campus to movie tickets from films I watched with my friend. All these small/cost-efficient additions made the space feel like my room was my own true space.

Tip two: Choose what you want your residential hall experience 

I often like to say “your res hall is the starting point”. While your roommate and floor-mates are some of the first people you will meet at Northwestern, they do not have to be your best friends all year round. One of the things I recommend is that you have full control of what your residential experience will be like, so explore the process openly. Try to get engaged somewhat with your “neighbors”, but don’t feel bound to them if you don’t want to. You will be sharing a bathroom, living space, and be generally around all these people in your residential hall everyday for almost 10 months; diving into this close-knit community will definitely help you quickly adjust and take advantage of social life at Northwestern. 

Yet, don’t let an upsetting experience dictate how you look at residential living on campus. Your residential hall is by no means the only place to make friends on-campus. However, it does not have to be a negative experience unless you choose to make it so. Personally though, I enjoyed having friends in my residential hall. I helped me have a good social community when I just wanted to stay inside and relax in my room but even when I had some negative experience with my residential hall peers (dirty kitchens or disagreements), I did not let it define my residential experience entirely.

Tip three: Be Mindful

More often than not, you will be in a building that has 50+ other residents. You must be mindful not just of other residents but of yourself. Don’t blast music late at night or go around making noises. For me, it was often distracting trying to study while people in my hall were making a racket. With so many students in one hall sharing common spaces, bathrooms, and kitchens be mindful of the mess you make. Kitchens and bathrooms especially can get dirty easily so don’t be the person who didn’t clean up after themselves. If you won’t do it at home, don’t do it on campus!

Tip four: Be open

 It may seem like a cliche but you have to be open to residential hall living. Living in a residential hall can be both negative and positive for certain people, but it is what you make of it that defines your experience. Coming into it with an open mindset helped me be able to adapt to the new environment. I remember how when I first started getting involved in my first-year residential hall (2303 Sheridan), I was fascinated by the weekly game nights and “munchies” food night that my residential college would host. Eventually I began to attend games night and try new foods during munchies, that this comfort with the community lead me to run for res college’s exec board during my spring quarter. Res-hall living at Northwestern is truly a great college experience.

Best of Luck,

Daniel