I lived in college dorms my freshman year and the first part of my sophomore year. And from my experience, IT SUCKED. For a few reasons - 2 out of 4 roommates I had (yes, I had 4 roommates in the time span of 1.5 years) were horrible roommates, the food situation was miserable, I hated the lack of privacy, my dorm was anti-social, just to name a few.
My first roommate was psycho, I'll just leave it at that. My second was great, but she moved into an apartment after her semester at the dorms. My third, went to bed at 9pm every night, which made it difficult for me, because although I didn't party like crazy I still went out occasionally. She was anti-social and didn't even try to get to know me. My 4th was decent, but it was a bad semester for me, so things didn't work out. I shared a bathroom with my roommates, and cleaning wasn't so bad. It was better than community bathrooms.
What made it really hard, though, was the social factor of my dorms. There WAS no social factor. Nobody came out and said hi to each other, nobody talked to each other. I made almost no new friends, and it was just the way it was. So if you live in them, make it a POINT to go out and be friendly, and meet people. Cause with my dorm, it was a "if you don't talk to me, I don't talk to you" situation. So when you live in there make sure you are social, and say hi to everyone at least!
Food is really expensive at my school, it can cost up to 7 dollars or more for a meal. But I would say college cafes (like ones nestled on campus, not really pricey outside ones) are a good way to meet people. If you see someone at a table alone, go and sit with them and strike up a conversation. That's what college is all about
it may seem scary at first, but I wish I had done that instead of being shy (I was really shy my freshman year..glad that changed.) I would strongly recommend that you budget your meals wisely (the food at my school tasted really bad), or if you'd like, you can cook something once or a few times a week (there are community kitchens) so you can take away leftovers. It's great to do it with a few friends, cooking is fun and a great way to socialize, plus you're eating yummy food in the process!
For the people who did have communal bathrooms, there is usually a vanity in the dorm, so I would put my makeup on in the dorm
Dorms aren't for everyone, but if you know how to take good care of yourself and keep yourself clean, it's a good experience to have. I learned a lot from living with others, what lines are appropriate to cross and what aren't. However since I had such a bad experience, when I go back to school I'm living in an apartment. At least I'll have my own room if my roommates are nuts...which, with just my luck they will be lol.
GL! I am chock-full of college advice so if you need any more, just ask! (I love giving it!)