First Impressions: Dorms

So it has been two weeks almost living at the dorms, and being a freshman hasn't been all that difficult here. I actually really like living in the dorms, always keeping my dorms open and able to drop by to anyone of my friends for a quick trip to the game room (by quick I mean 2 hours of ping pong, ice hockey and pool) or have a quick chat. On our floor (the 9th!) we try to keep our communal kitchen clean since it is the place where all the magic of making your own meal occurs. There is no meal plan here but that doesn't really ruin anything. As a matter of fact, I think it makes it easier for you to meet people. There is no huge cafeteria to feel overwhelmed by and it is much less awkward since everyone is in their pjs making breakfast. Plus if you love cooking like me, you will definitely meet some very interesting people. The dorms are singles so you will always have control over your own privacy, giving you a nice oasis to retreat to if you simply just want some time for yourself.
The dorm rooms themselves aren't very new, because the building itself has been around for sometime. Some of my friends have told me when they first moved in it looked like a prison cell with its layout and some of them told me their rooms were pretty dirty. But after some cleaning, some decorations, and some work orders, it did really feel like a second home for a lot of us. The furniture we were giving were also in pretty good order. The only drawback I see, even though we Macaulay Hunter kids get the dorms for free, is that the dorms lack any sort of air conditioning, which is really really bad for those of us who can't sleep in hot, stuffy weather. For me a tower fan and open windows remedied the situation pretty well, but some of the people I know still had trouble sleeping even after bringing in a fan.
But I still think paying $5000 simply for a newer dorm that includes air conditioning and some bigger windows and better furniture can't really beat the deal and opportunities you get as a Macaulay student.