Residential life is certainly quite an adjustment. For me, along with learning to live away from family and acclimating to the academics at Hopkins, I also had to learn to share a room and a bathroom. I currently live on the first floor of Alumni Memorial Residence I (AMR I), one of two traditional-style residence halls for first-year students. Students in AMR I and AMR II, the other traditional-style building, typically live with one roommate and share a hallway bathroom with others who live on the same floor. Contrary to popular belief, living in a residence hall has been an experience I cherish and would, if given the chance, relive.
The most influential aspect for me is my roommate, Gwen. Neither of us had lived with a roommate for an extended period of time before coming to Hopkins. During orientation week as well as the first few weeks of fall semester, the Office of Residential Life provides plenty of opportunities for new students to get to know those they are living near. Gwen and I took advantage of the Roommate Agreement that our resident advisor (RA) had us do during orientation week as a formal agreement to iron out any issues we foresaw. Fortunately, the living style questionnaire that all incoming students fill out over the summer worked its magic, and Gwen and I ran into no problems throughout the year.
We also made an effort to get to know each other outside of our living space by planning time for each other. Although we rarely crossed paths during the day, we made it a point to catch up every weekend. Our weekly ice cream runs at Charles Street Market, our grocery-store-style dining hall, will forever be one of my favorite aspects of my first year here. Gwen plays soccer for Hopkins, so I also have enjoyed supporting her from the stands at home games. Afterwards, I decorate our door with the team’s most recent score and a few fun details. By sharing a living space and adding a little extra effort, my roommate quickly became one of my closest friends. Now, our room has become a space filled with laughter and enjoying each other’s company.
Those who live in the rooms near me have also made an impact on my perception of residential life. All first-year students are assigned a First-Year Mentor—an experienced Hopkins student that aids in the transition to college life. The other students in each mentorship group consist of your neighbors. They were my first friends on campus and, since we live in the same hallway, it was incredibly easy to stay in touch throughout the year. We have countless conversations in our small common room we call the Nook simply because we run into each other throughout our days. Multiple times a week, my neighbors and I end up in the bathroom at the same time and debrief our days as we brush our teeth. It also isn’t rare for one of my hallmates to knock on my door at night and hang out or chat before retiring to our own rooms for some sleep.
Even now, our entire hall considers each other close friends. I regularly grab lunch with Camille, who lives a few doors down from me, and I wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for our living space. A few times each semester, our mentor reaches out to organize a floor get-together and we go to a restaurant or ice cream as a group. I’ve loved being just a few steps away from my friends; it’s as if we all share one big house.
Of course, every floor has an RA. RAs are Hopkins students who live in the residence halls with students but have their own rooms. I got to know mine through day-to-day interactions as well as the many events he and the other RAs in the building organized. From paint nights to movie nights and even outings to local attractions like the farmer’s market and the aquarium, the RA events allowed me to meet so many other first-year students who lived in my building. I met my roommate for next year at an RA event, and we still try to go to as many as we can together. Now, it is basically guaranteed that on my way to class or the laundry room I’ll run into someone I know.
As I have grown into my place at Hopkins, I have found AMR I has truly transformed into a home. My roommate, along with the other first-year students living nearby, have become the faces of some of the best memories I have of Hopkins. I am incredibly grateful for their presence and coming home each night is a pure joy.
