Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Life

Weird And Gross Things You’ll Experience Living At College

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at URI chapter.

Living in a communal space is heaps different than living at home, and as expected, you’ll live entirely new experiences and some are not too pretty. Welcome to college.

Having A Weird Roommate

Sometimes we underestimate what it’ll be like to live with someone else. Unless you share a room with your siblings at home, you don’t know what it’s like to have non-stop contact with someone. Whether you picked out your roommate or went completely random, your roomie might not be exactly who you thought they were going to be. For all you know, they could have a nightly satan worshipping ritual at three o’clock in the morning or have a serious snoring problem that even people in China can hear.

Hair On The Bathroom Walls

It’s so common, yet it will somehow gross you out until the end of time. One minute you’re reaching for your body wash and then before you know it, you’re staring down a strand (or clump) of some stranger’s hair. Your hair looks beautiful on your head, but not on the walls. It may not always be intentional, but it is still beyond gross!

Wearing Shoes In The Shower 

You’re so used to showering barefoot at home, but when you come to college, you completely forget what it’s like for your toes to touch the water. It’s a weird concept, but it honestly just feels wrong when you go home during breaks and finally get to step into a shower without a pair of flip-flops on.

Weird Late-Night Food Combinations

You’re eventually going to run low on the snack stash that you stocked up, and when that happens, you have to compensate. This is especially a nuisance if the dining hall is closed and you find yourself hungry at midnight when you should be sleeping. Time to break out your stale crackers and hard gummy bears. Seriously, you’ll find yourself eating the weirdest things at night. Crackers and gummy bears don’t sound all that bad, though.

Walking In Late To A Lecture

You’ve decided to snooze seven times before waking up for your lecture, and just when you think you can skip it, you remember you have a midterm coming up and suddenly you’re in a panic and rush in late. The entire lecture hall, including your professor, looks up from their laptops to stare at you in a pair of sweatpants and a knotty ponytail wearing absolutely no makeup. Yes, this is a personal story, and yes, it can and probably will happen to you too. Awkward.

Food In The Sinks

As we all know, people are gross. We do repulsive things, and that does not exclude pouring their old, soggy, Ramen into the sink. You’ve had a tough day filled with tests and homework and all you want to do is wash your face and go to sleep, but you look down and there are leftovers in the sink. Food in the sink is so gross, you might even have nightmares. I shiver just thinking about it.

Unwrapped Feminine Products 

PSA: No one wants to see an unwrapped pad in the trash so wrap them up, ladies! I seriously feel bad for whoever is taking out those bathroom garbage bags. I don’t think I’d be able to do it. Thank the lord for those sweet cleaning ladies.

Seeing People From Parties On Campus

You’re bound to meet a bunch of people at parties, whether they’re on-campus or off-campus. You may not remember making a bunch of friends at that party you went to, but your Snapchat says otherwise. Sometimes not only your Snapchat will prove it, instead, they might approach you on campus somewhere. You’ll also probably find yourself running into people from parties and they might not remember you. Ouch. The struggle is real.

Seeing RA’s Or TA’s At Parties

It’s weird, but it’s also kind of awesome. You’ve seen them cracking down on people for being too loud, or literally teaching a class of students and suddenly you see them going buck wild at a party with a Four Loko in their hand. That’s not the weirdest part, though. The weird part is when you see them in the classroom or the hallway the next day.

Finding Weird Items In Your Residence Hall

You may not expect to see a banana on the stairs or a condom in the common area, but you’d be surprised. It happens way too often. I’ve even seen a pair of bright pink underwear holding open someone’s door, and a box of sushi just chillin’ the elevator. I can’t make this stuff up. Only in college, amirite?

What I’m trying to say is, people are weird and do some pretty questionable things. This list could go on forever, but I’ll let you discover the rest for yourself. You won’t be used to them at first, but after a while, they become quite normal and almost endearing. College just wouldn’t be college without seeing condoms in random places or seeing Cheerios in the sink when you go to wash your hands. In a way, these weird and revolting things make college what it is, so take it all in and just learn to laugh at them.

Hi! My name's Shelby, but some of my friends call me Shebs. I was born and raised on Long Island, New York and have a strong love for New York pizza. I am currently attending the University of Rhode Island as an Undecided major within the Harrington school of Communications. I am interested in Film/Media and Journalism. I love kicking back and watching movies, especially horror movies.