How to Have Your Best Year in the Residence Hall

Bridget Lochhead

Residence life is a key part of a great college experience but it also comes with challenges, from a lack of privacy to roommate conflict and more. Here’s a Q&A with a current student sharing tips for how to prioritize well-being and academic success while having fun in the dorm.

Q: Living in a dorm your first year, how did you balance being social with creating private space?

As an introverted person it did take some effort to balance my social life. At the start of the year, I intentionally spent more time with people than I might have preferred so that I could make those connections early on. However, recognizing that it was okay to need space for myself was important. My dorm was all first-year singles, so I had the benefit of being able to go to my room when I needed alone time which is something that not many college freshmen are able to do.

Q: Sleep is so important to health, safety and overall success in college. What were your strategies for maintaining a healthy sleep schedule in the dorm or was that even possible?

It was definitely important to know my own limits and establish a good sleep routine. Trying to be consistent with what I did before bedtime and giving myself space to unwind after a long day helped.

If you share a bedroom with a roommate, you need to discuss and respect each other’s schedules — for example, if one person needs to go to bed earlier because they have an early morning class, job or sports practice.

More Sleep Tips for Students:

• Turn off all screens at least an hour before bedtime.
• Sleep in a dark room (use an eye mask if necessary).
• Exercise regularly (but not too close to bedtime).
• Avoid caffeine 3–4 hours before sleep.
• Keep the temperature of your room cool at night.
• Don’t pull all-nighters! They’re counter productive.

Q: Do you study in the dorm or elsewhere on campus?

I usually studied outside of my dorm. I found it easier to concentrate in the library or student center because of the separation from the distractions of my own personal space. Keeping my dorm as a place where I could relax was also beneficial — I didn’t have negative or stressful feelings associated with my room.

Q: How can students living in dorms protect their health during cold and flu season?

It’s tricky to stay healthy because you’re living on top of so many other people! It’s important to follow the typical practices of making sure you’re eating well, drinking water, and getting enough sleep. Just making sure that you’re taking care of yourself helps, but the proximity to so many other people makes sickness hard to avoid.

Illness Prevention and Self-Care:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap.
• Know when you’re sick enough to go to the health center
• Don’t go to classes or the dining hall when you’re symptomatic.
• Stay up to date on vaccinations and boosters.

Q: For the coming year you’ll be in a one-room double. Will you make rules with your new roommate in terms of quiet hours, etc.?

The fortunate part about being able to choose a roommate who I already know is that we were able to pick each other based on our similar lifestyles. That said, we’ll definitely have conversations about what we expect from each other, and being able to communicate about how we’re feeling and what we need is going to be important this year.

Q: Did living in a residence hall help you have a more successful first year of college?

The best part was definitely the friendships that came out of living in the residence hall. Despite the times when I wished I had some separation from everyone around me, the dorms were a big part of my happiness in my first year — I met my two closest friends because we lived across the hall from each other. Existing in close quarters with people who are navigating the exact same stage of life as you is such a rare bonding experience, and sharing it with so many people in my class helped form connections that I wouldn’t have made otherwise.

Bridget Lochhead

Read more by Bridget Lochhead

Bridget Lochhead is a second-year student at Barnard College. A computer science major, she takes a wide variety of classes, including dance. Bridget grew up in Boulder, Colorado with two older sisters, with whom she’s still very close. At Boulder High, she played violin and was a captain of the mountain bike team. When home on break, Bridget works at the Dushanbe Teahouse, an iconic downtown Boulder restaurant.