Last year, I lived at Presby Hall, a private dorm on campus, and to say I had a lot of space would be an understatement. Presby is a suite-style dorm with the best amenities on campus. I shared a suite with five girls that included a living room, balcony, kitchen, a washer and dryer, two bathrooms and separate bathrooms. While I had a roommate in my personal room, a wall divided our spaces for privacy. In addition, I had my own closet, dresser, desk and bed with storage space underneath. It seemed like the perfect living situation, since I could hoard all of my clothes and shoes in one place, and even cook and do laundry in the same room. While many of my friends learned to live in small spaces their first year of college, I felt like not much had changed from my living situation at home.

However, when I joined a sorority, I knew the days of spacious living were numbered. While I was excited to live in the sorority house with all of my best friends, I knew I would not have the same amount of space as Presby. I was going to be sharing a room with two other girls, but that was not all. We would also share a dresser, closet and desk, as well as community bathrooms with the 40 other girls living in the house. No more easy-to-access kitchen or laundry machines either.

When I moved into the sorority house, it was an adjustment — just as I predicted. However, it was much easier than I thought it would be. Even though my roommates and I shared basically everything, we found an organizational system that worked for us. We each got a few drawers in our dresser and divided the closet into sections. I even realized that the community bathrooms are fun, since we all could get ready together each morning.

Before moving into the house, I didn’t understand how nice it was to live with my best friends. We study together, eat together, go out together and more. If I had a rough day or just need someone to watch “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” with me, they are always there. One weekend, my roommates went home, and despite having the entire room to myself, I was counting down the seconds until they came back.

I will say the one thing I miss from Presby was the washer and dryer. I can often be found crawling under my desk and searching through my purses for spare quarters to do laundry. But all in all, I have realized that extra space in your college situation can be nice, but it is not the most important thing. College is about broadening your horizons and forming relationships that will last a lifetime. In 20 years, I know I won’t remember how much space I had for my things.

Instead, I’ll remember the fun times living with my best friends in the world.

Annabeth is a sophomore in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].