5 Common College Dorm Room Rules

When you’re living in a new place for the first time, you don’t want to start off on the wrong foot. Though most college dorms will have a meeting once everyone has moved in to go over rules, nerves and tiredness may make it difficult to remember them.

Here are a few common dorm room rules that apply to most college dorms.

1) Keep noise at a tolerable level.

Different colleges will have different rules about this. Normally, playing a radio with the door open is ok during normal daytime hours, but not at night when people are trying to sleep.

Also, some dorms are designated quiet dorms where this would not be tolerated at any time. When exam time rolls around, noise rules will likely get stricter.

2) Clean up the kitchen.

Many dorm rooms will have a shared kitchen on each floor or every few floors. Though anyone is allowed to use this kitchen, it is imperative that you clean up after yourself. This includes washing your dishes, cleaning any spills, and taking care of leftovers in a timely manner.

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If the kitchen rules aren’t followed, it may result in the kitchen being closed.

3) Guest policies.

Though dorm room policies for guests may vary, most have some sort of policy that includes letting the hall director or hall book know that you are having a guest stay.

Since the tragedies of school shootings, dorms have been stricter about who comes in and who goes out.

Make sure that if you are going to have a guest stay in your room, that you let the appropriate people know so that you do not get into trouble.

4) Contraband.

Your privacy in your dorm room is somewhat reduced. Officials may be able to search your room with little provocation. This means that possessing items like weapons or alcohol if you are underage can get you in big trouble, even if you haven’t shown it to anyone.

Also, keep in mind that some dorms are alcohol-free regardless of how old you are.

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5) Adult activities.

Though most dorms and colleges respect your rights to make decisions as adults, be aware that there are some private universities (especially those with a religious founding) that will forbid women from entering men’s dorms and vice versa.

Find a copy of your university’s dorm rules to make sure you don’t accidentally get in trouble.