College move-in day isn’t always like the movies

Freshman move-in day can be hectic at times, but Chapman students say the cozy results are worth it. Photo by DANIEL PEARSON, staff photographer

White brick walls stand unbothered as dust settles upon empty wooden desks. Hard mattresses lay, pondering when someone will adorn them with a mattress topper. Footsteps eagerly make their way through the door to see the  dorm room, untouched for months and waiting to become a cozy workspace for two or even three. 

On Aug. 25, freshmen turned their bare dorms into a more personable space during move-in day and are now facing the reality of the phrase "sharing is caring." 

The move-in experience might be different for each person, but the formula is the same: move in, get acquainted and try to figure out how you're going to make it eight more months sleeping four feet away from a stranger. 

The Panther sought to uncover how a few freshmen have made the best of the inevitably uncomfortable experience. 

“The beds in a triple setting were going long ways next to each other, so we pushed two of them horizontally against the wall and one of them vertically against the wall," freshman television writing and producer major Jayce Bertrand said. "So, it gave us more floor space." 

After rearranging the room, the parents came in and took a good look at the place to make sure the hygienic state was up to their standards, freshman psychology major Pharrah Barrows said.

“My mom walked in, she took one look at the bathroom and she called my grandma," Barrows said. “(My grandma) drove down and they cleaned my bathroom together."

Now it was time for the exciting part: decorating. It’s a tradition where roommates that are still freshly strangers talk about what theme to go for — with months of developing Pinterest boards for such an occasion. 

Tianna Schneider — a freshman English major — and her randomly-chosen roommate both coincidentally expressed a passion for pastel. Schneider told The Panther she brought in the pinks while her roommate the greens to create a colorful spring palette. 

“Everything I have is pretty much all pastel pink," Schneider said. "That's just how I live my life. She's doing mostly pastel green. So, I feel like it worked well together."

As for the other decor Barrows had in mind for her room, she said needed to wait a few days to really deep dive into her colorful vision. 

“I just made my bed, and I slept in an empty room for the first four days,” Barrows said. “But after that, I got everything up in one or two days.”

On the other hand, Bertrand said he was the talk of his suite due the poster he brought to cover the starkly blank brick wall.

“(My roommates’) friends come over and they're like, ‘Wow, you guys are really boring. This guy over here knows how to decorate a room,’” Bertrand said. "So now (my roommates) are trying to find posters that they like to decorate their sides of the room with.”

These posters featured the likes of Boyz n the Hood, Tyler the Creator, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin and Mötley Crüe, all of which the Las Vegas-native listened to the first night in his dorm room as a cozy sleep remedy.

 “The first night, the music was just kind of what helped me get to sleep because it was a new situation,” Bertrand said. 

With the loneliness of college kicking in, reality also struck freshmen as they settled into the dorm community. Schneider said she thought her relationship with her roommate would be exactly like the movies where they would end up being best friends night one. However, that was not the case. 

“I was really excited because I really hoped that I could become best friends with my roommate, or at least start that way," Schnieder said. "And it didn't happen that way at all. We haven't hung out outside the room.”

Although freshmen might not have yet found their new BFF, Schnieder said there is a benefit of not being super similar to your roommate.

“My roommate goes out a lot," Schieder said. "I've found ways to make that a good thing. I get to hang out in the room and bring people over when I want to. It’s not perfect, but even if you guys have different schedules, you get the room when she's not there.”

As the weeks go by, freshmen who share this collective experience will start to feel less lonely, more familiar and hopefully figure out the perfect roommate dynamic. Soon, the stark white bricks will be decorated into a personalized abode to inspire a sense of familiarity until the end of the school year, when the cycle continues with the next eager fresh face.