happy friends having fun watching TV together in dorm room

What I Loved About Living In An All-Girls Dorm

During my freshman and sophomore years, I lived in Busey-Evans Residence Hall with my still-current roommate.  We decided on Busey (one side of the residence hall) on kind of a whim. If I’m being honest, I didn’t come to college with my heart set on or against all-girls’ dorms. We really had no idea where we wanted to live and the dorm had air conditioning, it was close to the Quad, and had a bus stop right on the corner. So, we decided… Why not? Great location and we’ll be cool in the summer! Little did I know that I would come to love living in Busey because it was an all-girls dorm. 

All-girls dorms tend to get a bad reputation of being overly strict or weird, but the truth is that the rules are the exact same as any other dorm. You still had to escort any guests you had whenever they visited you, and that rule is no different in any of the co-ed dorms at UIUC. 

Besides the great location, what made living in Busey so great was the people. A lot of the staff members were always very friendly, creating a sense of community from the moment I moved in. With Busey not being a huge dorm, it was always very easy to get to know most of the people on your floor and even in the dorm itself. There always seemed to be a general sense of security amongst the residents, and it wasn’t abnormal to suddenly make a new friend simply waiting in the laundry room for an open dryer. 

While Busey is no longer an all-girls dorm, I enjoyed my time there because of the sense of community that existed within those walls. In fact, I met more than half of my close friends at Busey. The atmosphere of Busey was always fun and comfortable, and I think I owe that to the shared sense of security and importance – our voices mattered and were heard a bit more in a space made for people who identified as female. It was simply nice to live in a space like that. So, if you’re on the fence about living in an all-girls dorm, give it a shot. You might meet one of your best friends there as I did! 🙂

Taylor

Taylor

Class of 2021
Hey y’all, I’m a History and Gender and Women Studies double major and a French minor from Chicago! I concentrate in all things Black and Black women studies and love long-distance running.

Add comment