Hi!
I am currently sitting in the common room of my dorm room in Summit Suites, procrastinating and putting off writing another page of my thesis (due in 2 weeks AHHHH). As I begin my daydream (which may extend late into the evening), I am reflecting on my living experience over the last four years here at Trinity and how amazing it has been. I’m sure that many of you are in the process of figuring out where you will end up, and I know that there are many factors that go into the decision. Perhaps one of them is residential life. Let me tell you a little bit about my experience, and hopefully you will see how awesome it is to live on campus here at Trin.
I lived in Jones my first year. I was blessed to be paired up with a terrific roommate, who remains among my closest friends to date. Now, you are probably wondering, “How can I ensure that I have a similar experience?”. Well, first thing first, you need to have an open mind. Being flexible with people that are different from you is an acquired life skill, and is particularly important when living with a stranger. Second, our residential life department does a wonderful job at pairing students up based on a survey that you fill out over the summer. This survey is very comprehensive and includes questions about your living habits, ideal study environment, and ways that you spend your free time. Most of the time, they do a very good job at pairing you up with someone compatible. All tangents aside, I had a great time living in Jones. It is the most centrally located dorm I have lived in to date, within 30 seconds walking distance of Mather Hall, 3 minutes from the Raether Library, and 5 minutes from Ferris Athletic Center. I lived with a great group of people on the third floor, and we are all still very close. With that being said, all of the first year dorms are great, and I have friends who have had great experiences living in all of them.
Sophomore year was a particular blast living in Anadama, which is unfortunately not going to be around much longer to make room for the new housing on Crescent Street…if you haven’t seen or heard of this yet, check it out next time you visit campus, or go onto the college website and take a look at the blueprints. Anadama was great because we had a huge common room, a bedroom for my two roommates and I, a kitchen and our own bathroom. It was great to have a space like this where we could entertain friends, cook for ourselves (sometimes), and have an overall good time.
However, most people will tell you that one’s Trinity experience is not complete without living on the long-walk. I was fortunate enough to return from my semester abroad during my junior year and live with my friends in Cook, which is along the south end of the long walk. If you have been on a tour (or will be taking one soon), you probably walked underneath one of the archways that was immediately below our room. Hopefully you didn’t mind the eclectic mix of Eric Clapton, FloRida, and Coldplay that was blasting from above! Needless to say, living in Cook was an experience never to be forgotten. And not to mention, the best water pressure of any of the showers on campus!
And here I am, as an old senior, living in Summit Suites. This dorm, which is immediately on your right as you drive into Trinity from New Britain Ave., is a beautiful, less than 10 years-old dormitory that is primarily for upperclassmen. I am living in a quad with four of my close buddies, and we are having a blast. All of our friends live on our hallway too, which makes for constant socializing whenever we choose. All of my living experiences have been very different, but I have loved every single one for different reasons. Chances are, you will too!