As a sophomore in my second year of living down the hill, (Wertimer last year, Bundy West this year), I’d like to think I’ve mastered, or at least come close to mastering, life down the hill. So for all of my fellow down-the-hill girls, I’ve compiled a little list for you of life hacks to not only survive, but enjoy life down the hill.
1) In the winter, bundle up very well (this means hats and gloves — they may put a dent in your cute hairstyle or outfit, but they are a NECESSITY). I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost frozen off my hands because I didn’t wear gloves.
2) Also, on the note of winter, you’ll probably want to pack everything you need for the day in your bag in the morning and spend the day up the hill; it saves so much time, and you’ll be relieved that you don’t have to walk up and down the hill several times in the freezing weather.
3) Make a friend who lives up the hill whose room you can crash in if you need to. I’m a perpetual napper, and living in Wertimer last year made my life more difficult– it just wasn’t convenient to walk all the way down, nap, and walk all the way back up, especially in the winter. Half the time, I would nap on the couch of my friends’ room in Dunham. And after some nights out, when I didn’t feel like going all the way back to Wertimer, I would crash on that same couch. It felt just like an old-fashioned sleepover with some of my best friends!
4) Have food in your room! Some mornings, it’s so hard to pull yourself out of bed, and Commons and McEwen simply aren’t as convenient as they are for people living up the hill. In these situations, it helps to have a quick bite to eat in your room while you’re getting ready to run out the door. It’ll make you feel better, and you’ll be more focused in that 9 AM when your stomach isn’t growling.
5) Try to make friends down the hill too! One of the great things about living down the hill is the sense of seclusion it breeds; at first, this may seem like a really bad thing. But along with having friends up the hill, it’s so great to have friends down the hill. Being down here really tends to bond people together, and making friends around you ensures that you’ll always have somebody to hang out with late at night or a walking buddy to and from the library.
6) And finally: utilize Bristol! Bristol has two great benefits (especially being on the Wertimer side of the road). First, they have so many washing machines and dryers in the lower level. This is helpful if you simply can’t seem to find an open one in your dorm, or if, like in Bundy West right now, the machines are broken. Second, Bristol is a great shortcut to get up the hill, especially since it’s heated, which is a life-saver when it’s cold. Simply walk in the back entrance, go up the stairs, walk out the front, and you are that much closer to the main part of campus.
Living down the hill is what you make of it; as a freshman, at first I was honestly really bummed out to not be living in Dunham or somewhere more central. But I ended up making some of the best friends and having some of the best times down the hill, so much so that I decided to live down here again this year!