Dorm Life
- Bonnie Garcia
- Mar 14
- 4 min read
By Esteban Rodriguez (Contributor)
Life at the dorms is often a scary proposition, and most incoming freshmen will find themselves overwhelmed with starting a drastic new school life and a new home life, so we’ve decided to interview students living in the dorms to ask questions regarding mental health, academic, and social life there.
Aleksander Marquez
Aleksander Marquez is a Computer Science major who is very outgoing, loves video games but race cars more, and is in the Green Power U.S.A.
1. How long did it take you to adjust to living with someone else? Are you guys, friends, and if not, how did you make friends living in the dorms?
“It took a week to get really adjusted to living with someone else. You have to mind each other's personal space and try to understand each other. Now me and Josh (his roommate) are great friends.”
2. What are the reasons you decided to live in the dorms? Do you regret living in the dorms, or is it something you like?
“I chose to live here because I didn’t want to commute back and forth from home and get stuck in traffic. There are also more opportunities to do while living on campus, meeting new people and joining clubs.”
3. How do dorm living arrangements impact mental health?
“School hasn’t really impacted my mental health, and living in the dorms hasn’t either. I feel like I’ve been the same the last few months.”
“School hasn’t had much impact on my mental health, nor has living in the dorms. I feel like I’ve reminded the same over the past few months.”
4. How has living in the dorms affected your school life? Has living at the dorms made school harder or easier?
“Living in the dorms has made school life a lot easier. Since I live on campus, I can ask other students for help or can go to my professors and ask for help.”
“Living in the dorms has made school life a lot easier. Since I live on campus, I can easily ask other students for help or go to my professors for assistance.”
5. Does living on campus provide access to resources you wouldn’t be able to access from home?
“Living here has provided a lot more resources than at home. I can go to the career center whenever I want and they’ll help me with my resume, and I can go to the library and do research or just sit and study or go to the dining hall and eat.”
6. Do the social aspects of the dorm, like having a roommate, affect how you study or learn? Does it make it better or worse for you to concentrate academically?
“The social environment is pretty nice overall. If I ask my roommate not to bother me, he's pretty cool with it, but my suitemate can bother me a lot sometimes and just talk about random stuff, but other than that, it's pretty good.”
“The social environment is nice. If I ask my roommate not to bother me, he's usually respectful about that. However, my suitemate tends to bother me more, often talking about random things, but aside from that, it's pretty good.”
Benjamin Sanchez
Benjamin Sanchez is an accounting major, who describes himself as an enigma, cookie enthusiast, and enjoys his personal space quite fondly.
1. How long did it take you to adjust to living with someone else? Are you guys friends, and if not, how did you make friends living in the dorms?
“It took me a good two weeks to get situated, and I am friends with my roommate. I wouldn’t say friends, but more of an acquaintance.”
2. What are the reasons you decided to live in the dorms? Do you regret living in the dorms, or is it something you like?
“I decided to live in the dorms and commute back, and it would take an hour just to get here and another one back. I like it here, but I like my home better. You know it’s a place to sleep.”
3. In your opinion, what are the biggest issues or problems with living in the dorm?
“The biggest issue would be...privacy. You can get it either way. I don’t think I see any big issues.”
4. How do dorm living arrangements impact mental health?
“It hasn’t really impacted me, but it really sucks. I miss my family.
5. How has living in the dorms affected your school life? Has living in the dorms made school harder or easier?
“The social aspects of the dorm make it better for me to learn. My roommates help me understand assignments, so I think it’s a mutual help between all of us. There’s also just a routine that you can fall into, which doesn’t affect social life and school life too much.”
6. Does living on campus provide access to resources you wouldn’t be able to access from home?
“Living on campus does give me a lot of access, like the library and multiple other ones, but I don’t really use them.”
Reflecting on the interviews with Aleksander and Benjamin, dorm life can be different for every individual since it depends on the person’s personality and their personal likes. For example, while Aleksander is an outgoing person and enjoys talking to others in the dorms, Benjamin is more reclusive and prefers to stay in his dorm room. Ultimately, dorm life at UTRGV brings a lot of different experiences where one can thrive socially and academically.
Comments