Spring Break
Co-op living filled with experiences, surprises
Sarah Paeth
Issue date: 3/11/09 Section: Forum
My first day of college started out like everybody else's. The excitement I'd been feeling all week had turned into nerves. I couldn't eat anything because my stomach was already full of knots. After exchanging teary goodbyes, the only family I'd ever known drove away.
I was just assembling my makeshift dresser, having second thoughts about this whole college thing, when I heard the cry, "Who wants pizza?"
A gaggle of squealing girls ran down the hall, followed by the scent of a large cheese pizza. Someone grabbed my hand, and before I knew it I was bonding with these girls over pizza and an episode of "Gilmore Girls." An hour later, my make-your-own dresser lay forgotten upstairs along with my pre-college jitters.
So was my first experience living in a co-op. Unlike a lot of incoming freshman, I followed a less traditional route and opted to live in a co-op instead of a residence hall or an apartment.
I chose to live in a co-op because they are less expensive - about half the price of a dorm - and because I liked the idea of living with a large community of people. After visiting Azalea House over the summer, I felt right at home.
Because there are only four co-ops on campus, I get a lot of blank stares when I tell people where I live. Though similar in ways to a residence hall, a co-op is truly a lifestyle of its own, and just like any other form of housing, co-ops have their ups and downs. As the name suggests, living in a cooperative house requires lots of cooperation.
I share a house with 52 girls - no, I'm not kidding. At times this can be a bit of an estrogen-overload, but we seem to balance each other out. The best part of living with so many girls is that it's easy to meet new people and make friends.
The house structure is different. Co-ops have study rooms, not dorm rooms, where you keep your clothes, books, desks and other belongings, which is shared with one to three other people. The doors to our rooms are always open as a sign of welcome, so being anti-social in a co-op is nearly impossible.
I was just assembling my makeshift dresser, having second thoughts about this whole college thing, when I heard the cry, "Who wants pizza?"
A gaggle of squealing girls ran down the hall, followed by the scent of a large cheese pizza. Someone grabbed my hand, and before I knew it I was bonding with these girls over pizza and an episode of "Gilmore Girls." An hour later, my make-your-own dresser lay forgotten upstairs along with my pre-college jitters.
So was my first experience living in a co-op. Unlike a lot of incoming freshman, I followed a less traditional route and opted to live in a co-op instead of a residence hall or an apartment.
I chose to live in a co-op because they are less expensive - about half the price of a dorm - and because I liked the idea of living with a large community of people. After visiting Azalea House over the summer, I felt right at home.
Because there are only four co-ops on campus, I get a lot of blank stares when I tell people where I live. Though similar in ways to a residence hall, a co-op is truly a lifestyle of its own, and just like any other form of housing, co-ops have their ups and downs. As the name suggests, living in a cooperative house requires lots of cooperation.
I share a house with 52 girls - no, I'm not kidding. At times this can be a bit of an estrogen-overload, but we seem to balance each other out. The best part of living with so many girls is that it's easy to meet new people and make friends.
The house structure is different. Co-ops have study rooms, not dorm rooms, where you keep your clothes, books, desks and other belongings, which is shared with one to three other people. The doors to our rooms are always open as a sign of welcome, so being anti-social in a co-op is nearly impossible.
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