There’s an awful lot to like about being a senior here at Trinity. Due to your registration time, it’s much easier to procure the classes you want. Due to your age, it’s much easier to procure the alcohol you want. And due to your class status, it’s finally possible to participate in that revered and much-anticipated ritual of adult life ““ living off campus.

But what about those of us who do not choose the off campus life? What about those of us who decide to reside not in apartments or duplexes or cupboards under the stairs, but in good ol’ fashion Trinity dorms?

I come bearing a message for this group of people: There’s hope.

As someone who’s spent the entirety of his senior year living on campus, I am here to show you the way. I am here to tell you that you can remain on campus whilst still cultivating the increased sense of independence that’s crucial to your senior year. And I’m here to tell you how.

1) Utilize your junior/senior meal plan. Mabee is all well and good, but there are a plethora of other dining options on campus as well. As an upperclassman, said options are now considerable more affordable. Luxuriate in this increased freedom, and remember that it is, in a way, a microcosm of financial adulthood: constantly increasing options purchased with a limited amount of money.

2) Get cooking. Unless you plan on structuring your adulthood around Lean Cuisine or the Hunger Games, cooking is an essential part of Real Life. Use one of Trinity’s many kitchens to try this out. I recommend Beze or Prassel, but any kitchen will do. Just because you don’t have your own stove doesn’t mean you can’t cook your own delicious meals. On a related note…

3) Polish up your hosting skills. In your post-grad life, you will undoubtedly host a gathering or two. Why wait until post-grad to start? Cook a dinner. Organize a birthday event or a movie viewing or a finals study break. This is a good way to brush up your organizational skills and your social skills. Plus, it’s an excellent excuse to go shopping for obscene amounts of dessert.

4) Treat lower campus like a separate neighborhood.When you hold a 9-5 job, you’ll rarely be able to go home before you clock out. Start getting into that habit now. Try to avoid popping back to your room for naps or TV breaks or what have you. This will prepare you for the work/play division that dictates much of adult life. (As all my friends know, I have not followed this rule. Do as I say, not as I do.)

5) Be thankful. While there are about a hundred things that off-campus life can offer that on-campus life can’t, there are a few unique perks to living here at Trinity. Housekeeping staff, for example. Reasonable speedy maintenance, for example. Mabee cookies, for example. Remember these as often as you can.

And with that, dear reader, I hope I’ve shown you that “on campus” and “senior” are not mutually exclusive phrases. Good luck to next year’s batch!