Coughing. Sniffling. Fever.

The Flu.

It may seem like you can never get away from it, especially for freshmen living in the dorms.

“I am generally really healthy and I do my best to avoid becoming ill,” Kathleen Gaskins, a freshman living in Virginia Hall, said.

“But once my roommate started coughing, I knew it was just a matter of time before I got sick too.”

Gaskins has already had to miss classes due to being sick.

She believes that living in tight quarters has increased her chance of getting sick and said most of her friends have already missed at least one day, if not more, because they were too sick to get out of bed.

“Once one person gets sick it spreads like a wildfire through the dorms,” Jamie Trenkner,SMU junior, said.

Trenkner can hardly remember a time during her freshman year when she was not sick.

From mono, to swine flu, to a bilateral ear infection and multiple sinus infections, she could hardly catch a break.

“I was not used to living that closely to other people,” Trenkner said. “There were germs I wasn’t used to being exposed to and other people did not wash their hands.”

Even though it may seem impossible to prevent getting sick when you live so close to others, Dr. Matt Bush, the Medical Director at QuestCare Urgent Care, believes there are several measures students living in resident halls should take in hopes of fighting off illnesses.

“Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands,” he said.

This may be a no-brainer but he believes the most important thing students can do is to keep their hands clean.

Students should wash their hands with soap for 10 to 15 seconds often.

They should take special precautions before eating or after touching other people’s stuff.

Students should also get a flu shot.

This is the best way to avoid having to deal with the flu and there really is no excuse for students not to get one.

Flu shots are available at several locations.

The QuestCare Urgent Care Center in Snider Plaza offers shots for $20 and the Memorial Health Center on campus has them for $25.

“Be conscientious and realistic about where you put your hands,” Dr. Booth said.

Your hands are one of the best places to pick up germs.

Avoid touching your face, eyes, mouth and nose, especially, to lower your chances of catching something.

This goes back to the number one most important tip, wash your hands.

Students should also use a disinfectant.

He also says students need to, “be well rested, eat healthy and exercise.”

Students often underestimate how important this tip is.

If we would take a little extra time to take care of our bodies, Dr. Bush believes it will make a huge difference in our immune system’s ability to fight off germs when we come in contact with them.

During this time of year, it would be beneficial for students to be conscious, not to pull all nighters, cut back on junk food and drink plenty of water to remain hydrated.

What do you do if you do get sick?

In the wise words of Dr. Bush, “Do not go to class, do not go out and keep to yourself so that you don’t spread it.”