Adalyn,

I live on the east side of campus and feel like I’m not getting that “college experience” everyone else is. Everyone on my floor is always in their room with the door shut and I don’t know what to do. Help!

The East side of campus comes with a lot of pros and cons. From living on that side for two years, I definitely understand what you mean by the college atmosphere being different. If you live in Ellis, I’m not sure why everyone has their door shut. From what I’ve learned from Ellis, it’s a loud, rambunctious place where a lot of freshman meet some of their best friends. Ellis has the three different halls, so it’s definitely the most populated dorm at UCM.

A definite plus to Ellis is the dining hall that is literally right below you, where you don’t have to venture out on a lazy or cold day – you walk a flight of stairs (or three) and get to eat where you live. That was always super convenient.

I lived in UCC as a freshman and was in the criminal justice SHIP, so I met a lot of different personalities who were in the same major as me. East side is definitely a good place to live if you’re a criminal justice, art, music or psychology student because your classes are in buildings that are really close to you guys, which means less of a walk and less of a risk of being late.

I currently live on the West side of campus and love it because I’m closer to the Elliott Student Union, Todd dining hall and I live with my sorority. The West side, in my opinion, does socialize more and is more center to campus. A con to this side of campus, however, is the parking. UCC, Ellis and the Foster/Knox apartments have so much parking. Sharing parking with the library, Panhellenic, South Yeater, Todd/South Todd, Fitzgerald, Nattinger, Bradshaw and Nickerson is a pain.

So, if you really aren’t loving where you’re at, just know you aren’t tied down. You can move at semester and get to experience this side of campus if you’d like. As for the doors being shut in your hallway, either open yours up and just say “Hi” to everyone or go to the floor programs that your wonderful CA puts on. Maybe you’ll meet a really cool kid there who has his or her door always open.

Truly,

Adalyn

DISCLAIMER: This advice column is written by an anonymous Muleskinner contributor. Her advice does not reflect the opinions of the Muleskinner’s editorial staff. The contributor is not a trained professional in counseling. Therefore, we advise people to reach out to the proper resources when needed. Any serious concerns will not be taken lightly and will be brought to the attention of the Counseling Center in Humphreys Building 131 or Public Safety at 543-4123.