Wallace was not a nice place to live. There was nothing glamorous about it. Cinder block walls, uncomfortable beds and hardly any space doesn’t make for a very homey environment. I lived in Wallace my freshman year, and while it sucked, I wouldn’t change a thing.
I was moving in with two of my high school friends. Ahead of moving in together, everyone told us “not live with your friends” and that we “would all hate each other by the end of it.” We all laughed it off, but it was something I was worried about. I enjoy being alone at times, and Wallace doesn’t foster that environment.
We were also moving in with one random person. This guy had signed up for the room before us, but it was the first room that had three empty slots. All summer we talked about this guy, just hoping he would fit in, and that he wasn’t terrible. Within five minutes of meeting him, however, I realized that he would fit in just fine.
After the first week, I realized my fears of not enjoying dorm life or ending up hating my friends wouldn’t come true. I really enjoyed living with these four. It wasn’t because of Wallace itself — our rooms were very cramped, and fitting more than three or four people in them made it a hassle — but instead, the people I lived with.
That’s the big thing I learned here. The people you live with will make or break your living situation. I was lucky enough to be able to find four people that I not only could live with, but four people who were really good friends.
When I think back on living in Wallace, I don’t think about how the ceiling was falling apart, or how it always felt like our light could fall at any second. I think about hanging out with my friends, and looking back, the memories of last year tremendously outweigh the negatives of Wallace.
From living in Wallace, to everything I hear about Theophilus Tower, our living options might not be great. Even the LLCs, where my roommates and I are now, aren’t great. Our microwave is melting itself, our faucet drips constantly and our fridge makes weird noises. Living on campus isn’t the life of luxury, but that’s not what I expected.
You can choose to hate your time living in dorms or on campus, focusing on all the negatives reasons it sucks, but I don’t think you should. Instead, surround yourself with the right people, if you can. You’re not going to regret it.
Mark Warren can be reached at [email protected]