As I trudged through the snow and the slush of our recent storm, I became convinced that no one lives in Pennsylvania of their own free will. At least not during the winter time!

Seriously, though, the white stuff is great as long as I am sitting in my cozy apartment and looking at it through the window. It's a different story when I have to drag myself through it to get to and from campus.

The commute, such as it is, made

me long for the days when I lived on campus and things were more accessible.

In short, I wished I was back in the residence halls.

I worked for Residence Life during most of my undergraduate career and even took a job in student affairs after I graduated.

Since I came to Penn State, many of my former colleagues have asked me, "What's the campus climate like up there?" Of course, they are talking about more than the weather.

To be honest, I have a hard time answering that question — and I firmly believe that it's because I don't live on campus.

The residence halls are the places where one really gets a feel for what campus is like. College is, after all, a living-learning experience. Some people love living in the halls, and some people hate it, but it's something everyone should try at least once. If you have never lived in a residence hall, you have never truly experienced college life.

There is something about being in a residence hall community to which nothing else can compare.

Sure there are advantages to living off campus, but there are plenty of advantages to living on campus as well. Where else will you find people awake at all hours of the day and night and study partners for any given subject? Where else are you assured of always having someone willing to go in on a late night pizza or a midnight run to Dunkin' Donuts or Wal-Mart? Where else is there such a concentrated mass of people close to you in age who share a favorite class, favorite sports team, favorite soap opera or just a general desire to procrastinate?

I think back on my years as a resident and as a resident advisor. I can say, without hesitation, that my time in the halls made my college experience what it was.

I used to wonder at the alumni who would walk through our doors and ask if they might take a tour of the building or a peek at their old room. The even relished showing the place off to their kids.

I couldn't imagine being quite so nostalgic. Now I know better. In a way, there is something almost sacred about one's old residence hall and the chance to go back to it.

I am not saying that it's like making a pilgrimage to Israel or Mecca or anything like that — but it does hold a significance all its own.

The people I met in the halls are, to this day, are some of my dearest friends.

The experiences I had there made me smile, laugh, scream and cry. . . sometimes all at once! It was the place where I learned the truest lessons college has to teach. It was the place where I grew and gained a better understanding of who I was.

If you live in the halls, or have ever lived or worked in them, you know exactly what I mean.

I could fill a book with stories of squirrels running through the hallways, re-enactments of Monday Night Nitro in the basement, all-nighters, furniture diving (don't ask), haunted houses, staff slumber parties, intramural sports, romantic dramas, medical emergencies, fire drills, practical jokes, holiday parties, contraband, loves, losses, victories, defeats, hopes and fears — and any number of inside jokes. Suffice it to say it was a concentrated dose of life. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

They say you can never go home again. In case that's true, I would advise those of you in the halls to take a look around.

What you have may frustrate you at times and excite you at others. That's true of anything.

I'll bet you're going to miss it when it's gone, so don't let it fly by too quickly.

As with all else in life, make the most of it while you have it.