Dorm Sweet Dorm? Part 1

Early on in my college checklist, I chose my future living arrangement for the 2012 school year. Completely frustrated with scholarship rejections, the $10,000 plus cost I would be paying (that's without tuition at an in-state school), and the poor salary outlook for my chosen major--creative writing--I hastily looked at the nicest dorms and put those as my top.

Because I was so early in getting this done, I was awarded my top choice. I was momentarily gleeful at the prospect of suite-style rooms with bathrooms and the new renovations. As others received their dorm assignments, I told them about mine. Much to my chagrin, the response from my friends was heart-wrenching.

'Are you serious?!' I mistook her exclamation as envy, but was sadly shot down when her face twisted into a worried look, not even remotely near envy.

'What?!" I asked, the look reflecting on my own face as I became worried.

'Alexis, you know that's the party dorm, right?' she asked me.

I wanted to die. I was already reluctant in going to college at all given the above reasons (see paragraph one), and this made it ten times worse. By no means was I a partier. Heck, my friends called me 'Loner' because I'd rather stay at home and read than watch a bunch of people I went to high school with make fools of themselves and regret it the next day.

Now, I am not averse to drinking socially. The occasional beer sits fine with me...but I never understood why people feel the need to get so incredibly s**t-faced every weekend. People peeing in corners, making out (or more) with complete strangers, throwing up on each other, passing out at the end of the night; the idea seems disgusting and sad to me.

In high school, I was not comfortable watching people do that to themselves...so I simply avoided it. Now, in my assigned dorm, it was almost impossible to ignore it. I'm not quite sure what comes over people when they go to college. I'm pretty sure that these people could have gotten away with anything at home, so going ham in the dorms seems crazy.

Despite the warning from my friends (which they failed to tell me before I picked dorms), I decided to give my assignment a try.