User:College Dorm Culture

As a significant part of college campus, dorm life could also be a significant part of college life. In freshman year, one can quickly learned that dorms are not just residences but social groups, and each one has unique characteristics and traditions. All these characteristics and traditions of dorms coming together make up dorm culture. The culture can vary on universities, ages, gender, and counties for sure. In the dorm communities and social groups, not only the residents, but also the history, traditions and governance can contribute to the dorm culture.

The Development of Dorm Culture
In the dorm communities and social groups, not only the residents, but also the history, traditions and governance can contribute to the dorm culture. For residents, in the U.S., students can choose their residential halls solely based on their preference. At Ohio University, students can choice their roommates based on personal habits, such as the time to go to sleep or wake up and smoking habit. Under this type of selecting system, residents are likely to live with people who can share the same personal habits and values. As the result, the dorm culture could be developed based on those sharing values. While in China, students are placed in dorms. The arrangement can be made based on majors, gender and ages. Merely China universities provide gender-neutral housing, for instance. As for governance, it can sharply build the culture of dorm. In America, the rules can vary on dorms. Some dorms allow alcohol, tobacco, while some do not, for example. Therefore, the students who like drink or smoke are going to choose those dorms that allow them do it. That can be a case that how the disciplines form the culture of dorms. Other than those factors, the differences in design, history, and residents of each dorm cause culture to develop differently, and cause different characteristics to emerge.

The Impact of Dorm Culture
Culture is also a blessing and a bane. When students actively participate in selecting where they live, they are more likely to become active participants in their communities. Some universities use dorm community as learning community. Especially for freshmen, learning community can be a great method to help them know new friends, be familiar with campus, discover colleagues with same academic interests and so on. Unfortunately, the dorms in Chinese universities, residents are rather passive about those activities. However, on the other hand, the freedom in dorm may raise concerns for residents. Living in double, tripe of quad dorm, your roommate can have sex with boyfriend or girlfriend in front your eyes. Or the roommate can be alcoholic or smoker. All these can be disturbing. Also, the biggest surprise has been the culture of creative laziness that just seems to naturally occur when your mom’s not around to clean up the eight coke cans on your desk. It sneaks up on you, this kind of personal procrastination. One moment you’re trying to be frugal by saving on plastic silverware and the next you’re eating peanut butter from the jar with a lollipop stick. Instead of doing laundry, some just resolved to constantly buying new socks.

As a part of college experience, understanding of dorm culture is necessary. A better understanding could help college students adjust and navigate themselves to make the most their college experience.