I could not wait to live at college. It seemed as if I had spent years waiting for this moment. I would be free and on my own. I would be able to do whatever I wanted and all within the confines of a homely apartment that I would share with a good friend. This "apartment", of course, would be my dorm room and I spent days thinking about it.
             I knew that my dorm room would not be spacious, but that would be okay. I still envisioned it as comfortable with lots of space for all of my necessities. Surely, the beds would not have to bunked and of course I would not have to alternate between closet space for my winter and summer apparel. I could see the room in my mind. The sun would flutter in from a big window overlooking a courtyard between dorms where fellow students lounged under shady trees. The walls would be a dim yellow shade, friendly and comforting. The hard floor would be covered in a caramel-shaded rug with soft bristles that would feel like cushions under my bare feet. A soft breeze would blow in at night so that sleeping would be pleasant in the early fall and spring. My roommate and I would have our own privacy. I would be able to place smiling pictures in shiny silver frames and scented, green candles throughout the room with out ever intruding in her personal space. The room would be almost magical. I!
             didn't envision having to clean it or worrying about tiny, brown, pretzel crumbs being caught in my run-down, second-hand couch. Everything would be new, clean, and shiny. In my mind, the sun danced on each and every object in the room almost setting it aglow. Nothing was black or dreary. The room symbolized all my hopes for the new year in college. Not only was it a room for me to sleep, eat, and dress in. It was the center of my freedom, and it wasn't until I set foot in my new "palace", that I was cruelly grounded from my dreams.
             When I got to the dorm room, I thought it must be a h...