Hello again! What a long time it’s been, as the semester begins and with my darling kid sister – who is currently on edge whenever I say anything that sounds like ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ and insists she’s no longer a kid – all moved in … I thought it would be an appropriate time to share my opinions on Jester East and West as someone who has lived in both within the same school year. This is me, ungracefully, plugging the last article I wrote that somewhat discusses the reason why this move happened. However, it is also me sharing knowledge to future dorm residents. Knowledge that I wish I had known prior to signing my life away in a dorm contract. I’m a woman who believes in science, so here is my scientific theory and conclusion (based on first hand evidence/experiences) on which dorm is the ‘better’ one.
My writing pattern has most likely made it abundantly clear to all of you that I’m not the type to give up the answer in the first sentence of the first body paragraph! I’m more of a last paragraph, second to last sentence type of writer. Of course not in a cruel, clickbaiting way. In a way that pushes the facts mixed with my effervescent opinions that gives you the personal liberty of forming your own opinion without the bias of mine looming over you as you read. At least that’s how I hope I come across…
Anyways, back to the Jesters competing to outrank the other.
Wow, that was a very Medieval sentence of me to write.
I’ll begin with Jester East, as it was the first Jester I lived in. Although I feel like that was a life time ago, I would never be able to forget the communal showers or the cold water that sprayed out from said showers. Before I start listing the grievances I have with Jester East, I must issue a disclaimer of a possible bias I hold against J. East. Which can be primarily contributed to the person who took up the opposite side of the dorm. Regardless, the dorm was quiet. If you’re the type of person who appreciates quiet then East might not be the least for you. I enjoy quietness in moderation. Meaning when I seek it out or randomly on chilly, rain storm ridden, October eve. Like, Halloween or something !
In all seriousness, there is a type of silence that lives within these walls that I have never seen replicated even in the slightest at any other place I’ve lived. If silence is what works for you then Jester East is your dream dorm.
If you don’t mind not having a private bathroom and instead find comfort in having a sink in your room, more power to you. All I can state with 100% surety, other than the immediate envy I feel because although I don’t mind sharing a room. Sharing a bathroom with at least 10 other random girls/femme identifying people is just not my jam. I like to be barefoot when I bathe and take my time gazing at myself with a critical eye in a space where I’m not constantly worried someone could walk in at any moment. I do make myself do a good amount of things that I genuinely do not enjoy or derive any enjoyment from – even in a post, post, post ironic way. But this is just not one of those things.
Plus, the lack of counter space for your complimentary room sink is just laughable. I vaguely remember only being able to fit my toothbrush and toothpaste comfortably on the counter. From this bitter mini rant I hope you have come to terms with purchasing a storage space of sorts for your dorm. Or a hefty shower bag to hold all of your bathroom needs. The view from my room wasn’t too shabby either and I can’t complain about the elevator ride I was entitled to. As I lived on the sixth floor, which in my book warrants an elevator ride at anytime. Yet, despite the times I took the elevator outnumbering the times I took the stairs, it was nice that the stairs were always an option.
I found that Jester East, with all its quietness and being the ‘lesser know Jester’, it can be quite isolating. Or at least it was for me. I felt a lack of community for this dorm. Which again is most likely a personal struggle that grew from the suffocating roots my former roommate worked to care for in an attempt to further isolate me from a space I already felt no connection to. Ignoring the small, nice aspects of this dorm would be immature.
Thus, my acknowledgment of the nice quiet nature, accessibility, and the perks of having an end of the hallway room. Which includes the freedom of putting a doormat in front of my door (despite it being against the rules) and some semblance of privacy.
Similar to time, which passed without a hitch or any sign of stopping, was my school year. Which would end with my primary residence being in Jester West not East.
Without further ado, my honest opinion of Jester West on it’s own.
The rumors that surround Jester Wests’ name are definitely well earned. It is loud, chaotic (more often times than not), and random when it comes to the selection of themes for the doors.
To be completely candid, the time I spent at this dorm was also an extremely polarizing experience. But this time, I had a private bathroom. By private I mean I only shared this space with two girls at most when our trio dorm room was fully occupied. This bathroom became my safe space in some sick, sad way (not world).
I mean I feel like now is the only acceptable time for me to thank my past roommates from my time at Jester West. … Thank you former J. West roomies, for allowing me to spend an almost concerning amount of time in the bathroom and never complaining about it. Even if you might have wanted to… you didn’t and that was the break/kindness I needed. Thank you to my former roommates, you mean and helped more then you ever could’ve known.
Regarding Jester West… thank you to the private bathroom that became my second home. The convince of living only two floors above the market and one away from the dining hall… saved me so many times… Im almost embarrassed to list a number so I won’t!
The friends I have been able to make through my roommates and closeness I feel to those who also reside in J. West is unbeatable. Maybe this is where my bias begins to shine through…
Because despite what I went through at Jester West, I had this knowledge and reminder in the back of my mind that I was always close to someone. There was someone out there that cared.
This is when I give it away, when I tell you that the few hundred dollars are actually worth it even if you have two other roommates to share it with.
A bathroom, it’s meaning and significance would be way different if I didn’t trust my gut and make the jump to J. West. Jester West was sort of my restart when I truly stop to think about it.
It gave me the chance to get closer to people I now call my best friends and offered a type of convenience that like the silence of J. East has never been properly implemented.
Both Jesters will always have a part/piece of me. But when I recall my first year, I think about how living Jester West was truly the best thing for me!
Thank you for reading! Im so excited to be back and write this semester! I also wish to soothe any worries you might have about me balancing this with being on the executive board – if there’s anyone who can manager everything … let it be me !
See you all soon!!