If you live on campus, you’re well aware of the multiple smells pervading our halls. The mold, the cannabis, smoke, fire, body odor. I could go on forever with this list. These scents cause much discomfort and I’m here to say: embrace them.
These bad smells aren’t going away anytime soon, no matter how many times you complain in the resident hall GroupMe (I’m talking to you, Riker), so what is there left to do? You can’t invade the perpetrator’s room or fight back with your own disgusting scents, so just embrace them.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot resist the smell of a fresh Sharpie. Its chemical fumes return me to my childhood and instill a melancholic sense of nostalgia within me. Do they smell good? Of course not. But is there a benefit to inhaling disgusting smells? I argue, yes.
Don’t turn your nose at a new, confusing fragrance right away. Instead, take a deep breath. That’s not just mold you’re smelling—that’s the scent of resilience. The scent of countless generations of students who, just like you, have suffered through suspiciously damp carpets.
And of course, the aroma of cannabis wafting through the halls. Is it legal? Who’s to say? Is it coming from the sports player’s room down the hall again? Of course it is.
However, instead of fighting it, consider that you will never need to spend a dime on sleep agents ever again. There’s no need to spend money on melatonin when you’ve got secondhand sleep aid swirling through the vents (not to mention you know who to bum off of now).
It’s a comforting reminder that somewhere down the hallway, someone is vibing hard to lo-fi beats at 2 a.m. and you’re immediately jealous of their ability to be so carefree.
Everyone living in a dorm has smelled the overwhelming scent of body odor at least once (don’t even get me started on the Tolley-Brown basements). But I argue that body odor is not something offensive, but rather a testament to student endurance.
Even the smell of a Saturday night party in McClintock is something one could learn to enjoy.
Okay, maybe your roommate hasn’t showered in three days, but that’s not laziness. That’s dedication. That’s someone deep in the trenches of classes, sacrificing hygiene for a good education. Salute them instead of hating on them. It’s just the raw, unfiltered essence of youth. So I say, savor it.
Embrace the way the smell of cheap alcohol mixes with the scent of a fruit-flavored vape. Breathe in the lingering musk of someone who tried (and failed) to cover up their bad decisions with cheap cologne.
Dorm life is a sensory adventure, so stop fighting it. Let the aroma of college seep into your very soul. Years from now, when you catch the faintest whiff of burnt popcorn or unwashed bed sheets, you’ll be transported back to these glorious days.
And maybe, just maybe, you’ll miss it.
The Sniffer is telling you to stop complaining and embrace those gross smells.
The Sniffer has provided you with the featured image.
