It has been over a month since the week of hectic red move-in carts, kaleidoscopic residential college shirts, and proud convocation chants for the Class of 2026.

Humans evolved living among plants for millions of years––we feel more comfortable around them. As a college student in the urban Midwest, you are not in your natural habitat. Many of you do not see nature often. This can change. Just get a plant. It is that simple.

Four freshmen, each with their own unique lock-out experience, share their stories from the fall 2020 semester.

Residential Life announced that it would convert approximately 75 percent of its six-person suites on the South 40 into four-person suites Jan. 30.

The moment I stepped into my freshman dorm, my breath was taken away by the majesty of it all: The mirrored closets, the geometric carpet patterns, the Victorian-styled woodgrain furniture. However, with a single turn of the head, my moment was ruined. I saw the chair.

Students who live in Residential Life housing no longer have to pay a fee in order to stay in the dorms over winter break.

Washington University has earned high scores on various college rankings in past years, but this year the University is number one on the Princeton Review’s “Best College Dorms” list. The Princeton Review compiled the rankings by asking 122,000 students from 377 colleges, “How do you rate the comfort of your campus dorms?” in an online survey in 2011 and 2012.

We all know that philanthropic alumni like to attach their names to lasting physical monuments, but in this economy, buildings just aren’t as affordable as they used to be. Luckily, Washington University has a new solution: donate a dorm room.

Move-in day felt a little strange. This was partly because I was disoriented from the 18-hour drive, and partly because my move-in day wasn’t the official move-in day.

Some universities are known for the sweet sound of mockingbirds chirping on any given morning. Others are famous for the loud, bellowing noises of 18th century bells chiming from the top of Gothic towers.