5 Really Useful Things To Have In Your Dorm

Moving into the dorms, especially for the first time, is a daunting event that every college student looks at with a mixture of anticipation and dread. It is the first time that we kids finally get to be truly independent from our parents, but it is also the first time that we realize – when we mess something up or forget something important, our parents won’t be there to pick up the loose ends.

This list is a bit late in the making (I’m making a huge, all encompassing list, I swear!) but it contains 10 items that (most likely) you wouldn’t have thought of packing (or buying, since these items should be relatively easy to find), but will (most likely) come in handy during your school year.

1. Stick on Hooks
These are really useful if you have a surface in your room you can stick them to. For example, I got a pack and stuck a few onto my mirror (which is right in front of the door) to hang my bathrobe, my body pouf (those scrubber things for the shower), and my keys on. Other uses: hanging an umbrella, or creating extra storage space for anything that can be hung. As a key holder, the sticky hooks are particularly useful, because keys are extremely important when you live in a dorm where doors lock automatically. If the keys are hanging right next to the door, the possibility of forgetting your keys is pretty much eliminated.

2. Ziplock Bags
Contrary to conventional thought, ziplock bags aren’t just for storing food. During my last year, I used them as odor-safe food disposals (since my roommates and I had a no food in dorm trashcans policy, ziplock bags let me be lazy and… throw food in dorm trashcans), organizers for the pile of tiny, loose things I had in my desk, and, on one random occasion, I used a ziplock bag to take my crib sheet into the shower with me (cuz that’s how badly I needed to study). Long story short, Ziplock Bags are way too useful not to have.

3. Make Up Removing Wipes
Okay this one is for the ladies only. No matter how meticulous you are with your nightly regime, I guarantee you there will be at LEAST one night when you are up too late to want to wash off your makeup before crawling into bed. This is why you should have a supply of makeup removing wipes on hand: sleeping with makeup on is terrible for your skin, and if you have the convenience of these wipes on hand, you have no excuse not to take your makeup off.

4. Plastic Utensils
You might think that you are diligent enough to keep your own utensils clean, but I promise you, no, you won’t be. If you eat anything in your room at all, whether you make your own breakfast, or have snacks that require utensils, or eat leftovers from the cafeteria as another meal, you’d want utensils on hand. Unfortunately, most students don’t have a bathroom (and thus, a sink) in their room, which makes having to rinse off utensils after every use a LOT more of a hassle than it should be. Thus, disposable utensils.

5. A Water Purifier
Lets face it- fountain water definitely isn’t the first choice when it comes to good tasting water. Unfortunately, buying crate after crate of water bottles gets expensive, and storing them in the dorm’s tiny microfridge is quite space inefficient as well. It’s much more economically and environmentally friendly to refrigerate a water purifier full of water, and just pour yourself a bottle on the way out.

Of course, this list is nowhere NEAR complete, and there must be loads of things I missed. Speaking of which, what DID I miss? Do you have any must-have items in your dorm?

Convince Yourself to Work Out By Putting Money on the Line

Everyone who has told themselves that “I need to exercise” has probably wished at some point that they had the motivation and discipline to keep up the regime. However, most of us find that without someone, or something to keep us accountable, we often start making excuses not to work out, excuses like : “I’m too tired,” or “I’m still healing from my last workout” or “If I work out now, my food will not have entirely digested, and my stomach will explode.” Because of this, many people turn to the buddy system, in hopes that having friends to work out with will encourage them to persevere and challenge themselves. While this, in general, is the right direction to be going, our friends tend to be just as unmotivated as we are, and want to slack off just as much as we do. When slacking, even with a buddy system, begins to happen on a regular basis, it is time to take the next step.

1. Assuming you have a buddy already (if you don’t, find one NOW), agree on specific dates that the two of you want to work out together. Having a set schedule means that you have no excuse not to show up – since the times were predetermined, you wouldn’t have planned something in the exact same time block, right?
2. Set a fixed amount of money to be paid if one person cops out. Of course, it shouldn’t be exorbitant, because you’d be paying dearly for the days you might actually HAVE to skip (sickness, scheduling conflicts, homework, etc). It shouldn’t be too nominal, either, because you want to feel that pang of “nooo my money!” when you cough up the dough.
3. Proceed to go to the gym on the days you have planned, and, if either person cops out, he/she puts money into a “money pile,” which could be anything, like an envelope or a piggy bank. Neither of you are allowed to withdraw from the pile.
4. At the end of every month (or whatever time interval you desire), the two of you can go out for a (hopefully healthy) celebratory dinner for being (hopefully) consistent. Whoever missed more days will have to pay a larger portion of the meal. Or, if the two of you actually do show up all the time, then go out for coffee. Or split the money in half and roll around in it. Whatever you’d like.

I’ve included an excel file that will help the two of you track your days at the gym, and determine how much each of you owes. Please let me know what you think of it, since that was my first time making a form in excel. *crosses fingers* I hope it works! Good luck!

Workout Tracking Worksheet.xlsx

~*edit*~ Since this was originally my boyfriend’s idea, he demanded that I give him credit for it (^__^;;)
So yes. This idea originated from George Moxom.

Pasta Is Nukeable!

In my great search for easy recipes I can use in my apartment next year, I decided to try testing whether a variety of food is nukeable. For anyone who doesn’t know, nuking refers to cooking in the microwave. I tried to keep recipes as simple as possible, so that they could be prepared with the least amount of hassle, to accommodate a college student’s fast-paced, (lazy) lifestyle.

Disclaimer: I don’t know much about cooking, except for what I make myself. I’m not dead yet, so I assume what I make is edible. With that said, I welcome any comments or modifications you may make on the following recipe, but be nice please!

Spicy Marinara Pasta

Note: I eat about 1 to 1.5 cups of (dried) pasta, which is why the ingredients say 1 to 1.5 cups. If you eat more (or less) than I do, scale the recipe accordingly.

Ingredients (approximate, since I go by eye)
1.5 cup pasta*
.75 cup marinara sauce
.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper or 1 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 clove garlic
Precooked meat of choice ( I used 3 slices of deli turkey, but you could use sausage…)
pepper and parmesan cheese to taste.

*For this recipe, smaller pasta works better, because it’ll fit in the bowl. I used penne, but anything that isn’t spaghetti-like will work.

Weapons of choice
one rather large bowl
one rather small bowl
anything that is capable of stirring
saran wrap (yay)

Instructions

1. Add pasta into the large bowl
2. Add enough water to cover the pasta, then add about 1.5 to 2 inches more water. More water is better, because pasta absorbes water, and you want the pasta to stay submerged. Add salt.
3. Cover the bowl with saran wrap, and microwave for six minutes (if your microwave doesn’t have a turning plate on the inside, then microwave the bowl for two minutes, rotate it 180 degrees, then microwave for two more minutes, etc)
4. Remove the saran wrap, and microwave for four more minutes. If you prefer your pasta softer, you can keep microwaving it (at 1-2 minute intervals). I like my pasta chewy, so I kept it to 10 minutes.
5. While you’re microwaving the pasta, mince the garlic, if you have a knife and cutting board. Otherwise, omit this step.Here is where the recipe branches. If you want to keep microwaving, read on. If you have a pan, skip to step 11
6. Mix marinara, sliced meat, and either cayenne or hot sauce in a bowl. I love asian hot sauce, so that’s what I used. You can get it at any asian supermarket for about 3 bucks a jar. It’s not sour, like tabasco, and thus would probably work better in this recipe. You’re free to experiment, though, and let me know how it ends up tasting!
7. Microwave your marinara for 20 seconds, then stir it, then microwave it another 20 seconds, until it’s nice and warm (and preferably, not bubbling and spilling into your microwave)
8. Drain your pasta. It’ll be super hot, so keep the cold water on, and let it run over the pasta and cool it down a bit while you’re pouring the excess water out.
9. Combine the sauce and the pasta in the large bowl, and mix well, ensuring that the pasta is evenly covered.
10. With the power on 4 out of 10 (if possible), microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds. let it cool, add pepper/salt and parmesan and then feast!The rest of the recipe is for those lucky bastards with pans.
11. If you have a pan, I’ll assume you have a knife to mince garlic with. So mince away! Also, cut up the meat (if you’re using it) into bite sized chunks.
12. Butter / olive oil your pan! If you have butter, just take that huge stick (lol) and, when the pan is a bit heated up, rub it around the base so that it melts and coats the pan. If you have olive oil, pour about a tbsp and swish it around, or take a clean paper towel and spread it.
13. Garlic goes into the pan, and saute it a bit until you can really smell it (and it begins sizzling).
14. Then, add your meat, and saute for about a minute (on medium heat, please!)
15. Crank that flame back up, and add marinara and hot sauce, and stir, until the sauce is warmed up and nicely mixed.
16. Add drained pasta (see step 8), and add it to marinara. Mix it until nicely coated
17. let it cook for about 2 minutes more, so that the flavor of the marinara sinks a bit into the pasta.
18. you’re done! Dump it out, season to taste, and enjoy (:

Wow that ended up much longer than expected. Hopefully my directions weren’t too confusing, and the resulting pasta is yummy.
Mine was, anyways.
Enjoy!

Questions from an entering Freshman (part 1)

A few months ago, one of my high school friends emailed me with a few questions about UCLA, because she was trying to pick between UCLA and Berkeley. She wanted to know what college life is like, and more details about picking class and the like. I decided to post our correspondence here, in case anyone finds it helpful. Beware. It’s SUPER SUPER LONG. Apologies in advance for spelling / grammar mistakes.. At the time I was writing this I didn’t think I’d eventually post it up, so I wasn’t very grammar conscious. I proofread it a bit, but of course, I probably missed some stuff. ><; go easy on me!

Vivy:
I saw on your fb that you’re a neuroscience major. I am hoping to go in planning on majoring in biology which is close. It’s a hard question to answer but how is the rigor? A huge thing keeping me from choosing Berkeley at the moment is that the science department is supposed to be notorious for grade deflation and much more difficult than even some privates. At UCLA is it reasonable? On an average night, what is the work load like? I did APENG and APBIO so i’m used to tons of reading but is it unbearable i guess i would say? Also how are the professors? How are the exams? Are there internship opportunities given or is alot of it dependent on you finding it yourself? Also does anyone guide you in helping you take the classes you need if you’re set on going premed? Is there any special program at UCLA that basically preps its students specifically for the premed course in a “honors” sort of grouping?
A concern I would have is the vast size of the student body at the school. How difficult is it for you to get your classes you want? Do you get enough or any individual attention by counselors or any administrators? How helpful is the staff in helping you understand what classes you want/ need to take?
On a subjective opinion, doesn’t the size ever get overwhelming? In classes, are you ever able to get interaction with any teachers? Does the size make it kind of intimidating to really get involved in class? Does the size make you feel metaphorically lost in a crowd (my concern lol)? I guess these questions stem from the fact that i always pictured myself at a small private school where I would be noticed for sure but the price of that is too much of a strain on my parents and I’d rather not have them go through that.
How is the social scene? Is greek life big? I’m personally someone who likes “activity” but not too much. For instance i didn’t even consider UCSB and am not choosing USC because the party life seems too much and crazy. I like fun but let’s just say not too much craziness lol. How is it at UCLA.
Is it easy to be able to have the chance to meet alot of new people. Another concern is that i always imagined being able to go somewhere where very little knew me so i could completely have the chance to try new things without speculation. At UCLA since the majority are instate students would you say people mingle alot or are people very clingy to their cliques.
How often do you come home? Do you drive home? How are the dorms like? Do I get to pick dorms, roomies etc?
Going through high school I’ve faced a lot of “I wished” which I pass on to my little sister to remind her to sign up for things i wish i did. are there any such instances for you, special programs you wished you signed up on; any advice that I should have that would be very appealing and persuade me to choose UCLA?
What is the atmosphere at UCLA? (odd question i know lol) but my i got waitlisted at my my top school (Dartmouth) which i was hoping for because of the relaxed yet intellectual atmosphere. How is it like at UCLA- is it energetic, relaxed, hardcore studious etc.
Right now i’m hovering between UCLA and Cal like many people. Anything extra you can tell me about UCLA or what solidified your decision please tell me! I would like any insight!
THANK YOU!!

Me:
Actually, i’m transferring out of neuroscience into Computer Science and Engineering. So far i’ve only been taking prereqs anyways, so either way I wouldn’t be able to tell you how hard neuro is, but as far as like…. chem14 (every science major has to take it), I think its pretty easy XP. I did hear that Berkeley’s system is pretty cutthroat, but I mean it really depends on the person. I Think if you study hard and really try to stay above the curve you can do well anywhere, but as far as my experiences go, I was able to ace chem pretty easily. Um.. average workload per night depends on the classes you’re taking. I took some pretty labor intensive classes last quarter, so on any given night it’d be an hour to 2-3 hours of work.. it also depends on how much you procrastinate. If you take a cluster, like i did, which is super reading intensive, expect to spend about 2-3 hours reading, every other day. That’s JUST cluster though. you want to spend maybe half an hour or an hour studying chem at least every other day, because the homework isn’t collected, so its really easy to fall behind. Math is same as high school, an hour or so every other night. Overall, i was able to procrastinate without it seriously affecting my grades LOL. Keep in mind, also, that i work 14-16 hours a week, so time blocking for me would be different from someone who doesn’t work, and/or is in an easier major.

Um.. internships EXIST, but you have to be really proactive about going after them. I know tons of people who volunteer at the hospital, and in labs, so as long as you go out there and make an effort to introduce yourself to professors and stuff like that, its not that hard to get an internship. granted though, you do have to go through an application process, with interviews and stuff. Link to undergraduate research center: http://www.ugeducation.ucla.edu/urc-care/ <= helps you find jobs and stuff. There ARE counselors, and if you make appointments way in advance then they can help you schedule, but for the most part, I rely on my upperclassmen friends for help. That and they hold workshops that premed students can go to if they want help, and there's also suggested timelines online that tell you what different ways you can schedule your classes to finish on time, and those are major specific, i think. Here's the link to the bio major requirements : http://www.eeb.ucla.edu/ugrad_biomajor.php .. i couldn't find a time line for bio but I'll attach the one for neuroscience. they should be similar, since the premed requirements are the same across all the sciences.
There IS a college honors thing (i was in it before i changed majors) but its pretty easy to get into. 3.5 gpa, and its whatever major in the school of letters and sciences, and they make you take honors classes as a requirement to stay in honors. There are .. premed associated classes you could take for honors, but … there's no like.. counseling sponsored premed honors program. There are however lots of premed honor societies on campus [like coed premed fraternities, and stuff like that] and those you can rush for at hte beginning of the year, and in spring quarter. I know that in those the older students do mentor the younger ones, and thats always helpful. they host tutoring and q/a sessions for people not in the fraternity too.

For me, getting classes wasn't THAT big of a problem, even with all the people in premed, because the teachers are pretty liberal with PTE numbers [to get into classes after they've reached capacity] and they are also really good about opening up more spots in packed classes. Besides, you're not held to a specific timeline, so if you don't get a class one quarter, just get it the next quarter. have a general plan though. For me, i was pretty lucky, so i got all the classes i wanted, either by picking up other people's drops, or asking professors for PTE numbers. Especially if you have AP credits, you shouldn't have a problem getting classes, cuz you'd have a higher standing, and get an earlier enrollment time XP.. for counselors you really have to go yourself and ask. its completely diff from hs cuz counselors don't MAKE you meet with them to ascertain your schedule. If you have problems with picking classes, you go yourself and schedule appointments, or you talk to older students. But the path is pretty obvious, cuz its the same one everyone else is taking, so counseling isnt even really necessary. the staff.. imo is useless when it comes to telling you what to take, because really, its college. What you take is your own decision, and by now no one should be telling you what you need to do. personally i prefer it this way, because i don't want everything handed to me on a plate. If I get though college and get into grad school, i want to work for it myself, not get placed by counselors who like.. pave the road for me, you know? I like how here you have to really take initiative to get what you want, because i think that really preps you for hte real world.

For me, I dont really care about how big classes are, because the professor just talks, anyways. You ask questions to your TA's [at least, for general classes that everyone has to take], and professors have office hours that you can go to if you really have questions. TA's have office hours too, so it shouldn't be difficult to get help if you need it. Also, before tests both professors and TA's hold review sessions [at least, they do for math and chem.] Sometimes, if you don't have any questions to ask about homework, you don't even have to go to discussions. But for languages, the teachers really encourage you to get involved in class, since those are more discussion oriented. For sciences and stuff, however, at least at the beginning, getting involved isn't even a factor, cuz the class is just listening to the professor talking.
Personally, I like that UCLA is huge, because it means that if i want to maintain a degree of anonymity, i can just blend in with everyone else. I mean, i still run into lots of people i know all over campus, but I don't like thinking that everyone in school will know if I do something stupid, yknow? Like.. i wouldn't want to be at a place where I can't just.. escape from people every now and then =d haha but it differs for everyone. If you don't like that most people wont know who you are, then a small school would be better for you. But if you're worried about cost, I say that paying just so that you know everyone in school, and for a more "personal relationship" with counselors/ professors isnt that worth it. Save money for grad school, imo XP

The social scene is big in that there's always stuff going on. However if you're not into stuff like that, its easy to just tune it out, as well. Before i came to LA my boyfriend didn't party at all. Now though, since I'm more of a partier than he is, he goes at least twice a quarter. There are lots of people involved with greek life, yes, but its on the DL. no one pressures you to join anything [besides them shoving flyers at you on Bruinwalk], but honestly, your level of commitment determines your level of involvement. If you don't want to party, no one makes you. You're not gonna be like.. a loser or anything if you don't party XP i didn't at all my first quarter here, and it was chill. now i party every now and then, and that's chill too hahaha. If you don't want to party there's always other stuff going on, like sometimes a hall will go see a musical, or a movie together. Lots of floors do community events, like westwood dinners or ice skating, or just like.. board games[ my floor is really really into board games and we get dinner together all the time XP ] Its basically whatever crowd you choose to associate yourself with.

Oh yes. you definitely meet LOTS of people here. So many that by second week you won't remember half of them hahaha .. i mean.. once again its a choice. I don't hang out with HS people that much this quarter, mostly cuz we just haven't been in the same crowd. If you want to see them, you can make an effort to hang out with them. if you don't want to see them, its very easy to cut off ties, since the chance of running into each other is rather small. I had the same thing, where i wanted to go somewhere completely different so i could be someone different, but here i had no trouble making new friends and not having to worry about like.. being different from how i was in HS. when you're freshman, there are very few cliques, because most people don't have friends going to college w/ them that are from HS as well. Mostly its just Arcadia people that do that LOL. one of my best friends now is from Chicago, and i hang out with lots of Japanese people, so its really easy to mingle. everyone's really friendly, and you get to know your floor really well [UNLESS you choose to hang out with all arcadia people, which my advice is not to. Freshman year is your chance to make friends, and if you're with HS friends all the time, you lose that chance]. You form your cliques as the year goes on, but even then you're still meeting new people in your classes every 11 weeks.

I come home once every month or so. My parents pick me up in the afternoon so traffic isnt too bad. you dont get to pick which dorm/room you're in first year, but you get to pick what KIND of room. Plazas are bigger than halls, and have their own bathrooms, which is nice, but they're also much more expensive. you can pick roomies too, but once again my advice on that is not to feel like you have to stick with HS people. If you get good roomies, they become your best friends, and that's always nice (: My regret was that I picked roommates that were like.. REALLY good friends with each other before they came here, so I'm kinda the third wheel sometimes. They're friendly and everything, but its just not the same as having completely random roomies that don't know anyone or each other. you guys really become support for each other. But keep in mind, going random roomies comes with the possibility that you'll get a roommate you hate. I've seen a couple of my friends run into that scenario, but its really hit and miss.
eh. the halls aren't great. They're tiny, but i don't spend too much time in my room anyways, except to sleep and to do work like.. really late night, so it doesn't bother me. Just hope your friends have bigger rooms, and you can chill in their rooms also, lots of people study in the lounge / library / bruin cafe/ computer lab / all over the place, so if your room is too small or annoying to stay in, you can just go elsewhere. its not that big of a deal. Um.. community bathrooms arent that bad either.. they're cleaned twice a day, as opposed to plaza bathrooms, which are cleaned once a week, so really, any sanitation issues are mostly myths. The showers/bathrooms get pretty busy in the morning, but I've never NOT been able to get a shower. so all in all, halls arent too bad.

Um.. i wish i tried harder in high school, so i would have gotten reagents? haha .. other than that i have no regrets OH except that i got an invitation to join an honor society and i accidentally missed the deadline =_=;; that was kinda dumb, but completely unrelated LOL. I've met some amazing people at UCLA, and they're all very friendly, passionate, amazing people. Just.. don't be afraid to try everything until you find a niche for yourself, because it may be somewhere completely unexpected. I never thought I'd be in a Japanese club, but now, I'm on Staff, and I'm really good friends with everyone who is on staff / goes often. I kinda wish I was more involved, earlier, but either way things worked out so I'm very happy. Uhm.. iono. For me UCLA was just a really logical choice, because I love westwood, and i love the campus, and I didn't like Berkeley's college town at ALL. I hate Norcal weather [haha] and I wanted to be close to home, cuz my sister is really young, and I want to be able to see my family every now and then. UCLA is tough, the classes are decently challenging, but people won't stab you in the back to gain an advantage over you. If you want help, its everywhere: upperclassmen, TA's, counselors, if you have the initiative to go talk to them. To date I've only met two people who regretted their choice to come here… everyone else has loved it.

I'm not sure what you mean by atmosphere… It really varies. During finals time, everyone has a laptop / book with them all the time, and is cramming, and its very refreshing to see , once the partying has calmed down, that in the end people who are here DO care about their grades. Personally, I wouldn't think Dartmouth has a relaxed atmosphere LOL because its such a competitive school, that everyone is going to be on the same level as you, intelligence wise, or higher. Once again, your experience depends on the friends you choose. I chose friends who were really involved in their community, and care a lot about real world issues, but at the same time they all really like to have fun. All of us are really ambitious, and juggle lots of extracurriculars, but on Thursday nights, you'll probably find all of us partying together. The people I've met here are all really fun, but they know when to buckle down and study when they have to. UCLA has probably one of the most diverse student bodies, so its really easy to fit in no matter what kind of person you are. If you want to study all the time, then go for it. If not, there's always someone, doing something that isn't studying. Everyone's just… chill. But the campus itself i guess would be rather energetic, because there's ALWAYS stuff going on. Always. there's never a shortage of things to do, clubs to attend, parties to go to, etc.

yeah. I can't really say much about my decision because it was so natural and logical for me. I just didnt like cal and the horror stories i heard about people burning each other's class notes and stuff. I wanted to be somewhere where its competitive, but in a friendly way. But i think you really should go to both campuses, tour the campus and housing areas, talk to the students there and get different opinions, because i hear that some people who were really excited about Cal went to Cal day and came back not wanting to go to Berkeley, other people come to UCLA, tour, and decide they'd rather go elsewhere. Its just all about how YOU feel about the campus, and the environment. One tip about touring though? come on a school day. I'll take you around, if you want me to. Sit in on some classes, see what lectures are like! Go to a club meeting, hang out in the dorms. Its more your experience LIVING and BEING somewhere that makes you like/hate a school, and not the opportunities that are available to you, because in the end, resources are everywhere as long as you look for them. The people are what makes different campuses so different.

Alright. That's it for our first email. I'll be posting up part 2 soon!

Productivity Hack: Waking up alert with not much sleep

WARNING: Please only use the following tip when absolutely necessary, for example: the night before a midterm/final, the night before a huge project/essay is due, if the professor of your first class takes attendance and counts your promptness as part of your grade, etc. I’m not promoting procrastination by any means, but only providing help in the [most likely inevitable] event that you do procrastinate.

Caffeine Enhanced Power-napping

I have found through numerous [mostly unintended] trials that going to sleep wired is a good way to wake up alert. I average about 4-5 hours of sleep a night, so occasionally I have trouble getting up for my 9 am classes. Sometimes, when I need to stay up really late, I drink about 16 ounces of coffee with two extra shots, and that gets me through the entire night (up about 4-5 in the morning), and often, lets me wake up without any grogginess. Caffeine enhanced powernapping also works really well if you just need a quick nap before you get back to work, but don’t want to wake up disoriented.

However, if you want to be able to consistently wake up early, try the steps listed in this article [from Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog]. Constantly relying on caffeine in order to be alert may lead to caffeine dependence , and the more caffeine you consume, the more tolerant you become, and the more you’ll need to stay awake.

Bathroom Etiquette

Please be nice to me…

Having to deal with community bathrooms is one of the least enjoyable aspects of living on campus. Whether it is having to wait for showers during peak times, or wondering who peed in the stall you’re in and did not flush, sharing a bathroom with half a floor of people is never a pleasant experience. There are, however, things that everyone can do to make the experience less unbearable for everyone.

BATHROOM ETIQUETTE

1. Don’t leave any type of hair in the shower stalls. Being a girl, I’ve seen long strands of hair stuck on the walls of the shower stalls, stubble of hairs from someone unclogging their razors on the stalls, and mats of hair covering the drain. Please clean up after yourself and flush any hair you leave down to the drain, where it will join the hairball matted to the drain. Cleaning that up as well is optional, because it’s too disgusting for anyone without a pair of gloves and a toxic waste bin to handle.

2. Don’t leave anything in the sink. This includes any of the following, all of which I’ve seen or heard of being left in the sink, or anything else that isn’t soap: orange peels, tea, soggy cereal, paper towel shreds, cup noodles, boogers, mucus, and pubic hair.
3. When you leave the bathroom after using the counter above the sink, please take a paper towel and wipe it clean. It’s not that hard, and it saves the next person who uses that sink

from wondering whether you left water or spit on the counter.
4. Don’t leave anything in the bathroom stalls. For girls this means tampon and pad wrappers. For guys… well I’m not quite sure what guys would ever need to leave in a bathroom stall. Even worse, please don’t leave the tampon or the pad itself in the bathroom. Common sense, please?

See? It’s not so hard. Most of those above things take less than 30 seconds to do, so at most you’d be adding 2 minutes to your bathroom trip. Now if everyone saw the above list, and follow the suggestions in it after they use the bathroom, then any lurking nasties in the bathroom would be one less thing to worry about on a hectic school day.