It’s midmorning and I have just peeled open my eyes after a late night. I crawl out of my cozy shell of covers, put on my zebra-print slippers and shuffle down the long, dreary corridor with my eyes half closed, simultaneously dodging scattered piles of vomit while on my way to the bathroom.

I cannot speak for other universities, but being a resident in the dorms at Sacramento State isn’t that bad. Sure, the cost may be steep for community living, and sometimes the drunks don’t always make it to the bathroom on time. Regardless, it doesn’t matter who you query, every dorm resident will tell you that living there is an experience one should have before graduation.

Freshman Chris Boss, for example, is an undeclared who finds that the dorms have their “ups and downs, but is a fun and good way to meet people, but not quite so good if you’re into doing homework.”

Resident Advisor and communication junior, Michelle Scorza also shares the notion that dormitory residence may be an acquired taste, but the majority will learn to love it.

“I would recommend living in the dorms,” Scorza said. “You can’t explain everything because every day is different. Try it for one to two years; you get to meet people and move away from home.”

Most of my fellow dorm rats rationalize that meeting people is a prime reason for rationalizing living in a cubicle-sized room that strangely resembles a cellblock. Freshman kinesiology major Amanda Johansen said, “I like the dorms, having people always around you and friends that you make – you’re never alone.”

And freshman Alana Martin, a kinesiology and dance major, agrees that people are the reason the dorms are fantastic. “It’s like an apartment; it’s fun. I can go next door and chill. It would be different if I didn’t like the people I was around.”

But is the food worth it? In my humble opinion, absolutely. I can’t complain. Everyday, without fail, there is an array of food already prepared and within my grasp. But not everyone concurs.

“It’s the same food all of the time, I don’t eat dinner anymore because it makes me sick,” Scorza said.

But others’ opinions parallel my own, such as Johansen’s, “The food is good, but repetitive.”

So the food may repeat itself, but there are usually larger concerns people have before transforming into a dorm dweller, such as adjusting to the utopian concept of community living.

To describe dorm living, I would borrow Forrest Gump’s famous saying. Dorm living is “like a box of chocolates,” a bunch of good and bad packaged tightly together.

I suppose I’m not the only one who was initially skeptical of the people who I was assigned to live with. “I really like my residents,” Scorza said. “I thought I was going to get a floor full of idiots or stereotypical freshman, but they are the best floor ever.”

After the tedious search of trying to find someone who would comment on how atrocious their roommate was, I couldn’t, although I did find a bunch that really enjoyed their match ups. “I got lucky,” said Brittney Claycamp, a Sac State Crew gal. “I have one of the bigger rooms and a wonderful roommate!”

So the roommate situation is negotiable, and if strategically planned, the food can be avoided. But what about nightlife? While every night within the sanction of the dorms is not quite a “Van Wilder” adventure, or picturesque of “Animal House,” it does have its moments, nuisances and rituals.

Considering the patterns, it seems Thursday night is the loudest, and the most exciting.

Boss said his favorite part “is playing sports in the halls,” while others find it more of an irritation than anything else. “Thursday night is party night, when everyone goes out, comes home at two in the morning and you can’t get homework done,” said Martin.

There may be some pluses and minuses of dorm life, but the majority say it is a must for any college student’s to do list.

If you’re already living in the dorms or planning to, Martin has sagely advice about never allowing floor-to-foot contact. “Wear shower shoes,” she said. “Buy 20 of them, a pair to match every towel you have. Never go without them.”