“Everyone says they’ll be last for room draw,” said Mattison, “but last year my room draw group was the lucky group that actually got to pick last.”
With the final pick, Mattison and a friend opted for singles in Waldorf-Astoria. Though it is by consensus among the worst dorms on campus, Waldorf held the lone remaining pair of singles not situated on the Hill.
This would mark a second consecutive year of living in the temporary dorm. Yet Mattison has found her silver lining in the place. “Living at Waldorf both freshman and sophomore years kind of sucks,” she said. “But I love the space I have in my single. Plus, Waldorf is close to Merrill, where the majority of my classes are, and the gym ... which sometimes inspires me to work out.”
Upon entering, one immediately notices a fully equipped Kawai electric piano placed in front of the window. Mattison, a neuroscience major from Wisconsin, took out a loan to purchase the piano and had it shipped to Amherst this past summer. “It was a final, desperate attempt to retrieve my fading piano skills and find a way to relieve the stress that filled my freshman year,” she said.
One of Mattison’s most charming accoutrements is her collection of stuffed pigs. In middle school, Mattison began raising swine, and her family took it upon themselves to buy her all manner of pig memorabilia. “Just thinking about the massive shelf that I had to erect to hold all the stupid pig stuff I got makes my life, and the pigs in my room are a reminder of that,” she said. “They make me smile.”
Other adornments which add character to the room include a dream catcher fashioned by her sister (“I rarely have nightmares,” Mattison noted); a beaded figurine of a ballroom dancer (a gift from her grandmother); and a sofa purchased for $20 on Craigslist and which can be pulled out to form a bed.
Overall, Mattison has taken care to make her single a home away from home. “I wanted my room to be earthy and remind me of my roots,” she said. “I’ve filled it with things that remind me of who and what I love, to keep me grounded and give me a haven when I need it.”
As for next year, Mattison looks forward to much better luck in Room Draw. “I’m hoping to get a suite with four other friends in—dare I say it?—Mayo,” she said. “We’re in the top 10 percent of the junior class. Yep, it’s karma.”