Living on North Central College’s campus is a pretty wild time. The dorms on campus are truly something else… and not in the best way.

I would describe the dorms at North Central as an average to below average experience.When I was a freshman, I lived in Rall Residence Hall, an all girls, first year dorm, and let me tell you, I suffered, was traumatized, but made it out in one piece (barely).

Rall holds a special little corner in my heart. From that ugly pit, I am able to reminisce with friends on the terrible things we went through together. A majority of the time, one of the toilets on my wing was always flooding with water (I think it was water). Our floor was the only floor with a bathtub, which, no one ever dared to take a real bath in.

This dorm carried a weird smell to it. There was always a combination of body oder, dirty laundry, alcohol and occasionally weed, hidden in a mask of Febreze and cheap Victoria’s Secret perfume. The walls in this place are thin cinder blocks that allow your neighbors to hear your every move.

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As a current sophomore, I have graduated to a little bit larger, cinder block room (but the walls are still incredibly thing), Patterson Residence Hall. The bathroom situation is also a bit better. It is a community bathroom that has one toilet that occasionally leaks. Occasionally! This dorm usually smells like food or body oder so I think people have grown up and learned how to hide their alcohol and weed better.

Overall, my living experience on campus has been a bit gross. It’s really roughing it compared to living at home but I find that it builds character. I look forward to moving out of Patterson at the end of the term and moving on to a hopefully nicer dorm. But we shall see. Fingers crossed!