"Take a deep breath and you walk through the doors, it's the morning of your very first day." -Taylor Swift
Move in day for college freshmen is a trivial time. You're walking into a place that you are not familiar with and people who you have never met before surround you. I was a homesick mess and if I didn't have my roommate, I would've dropped out.
My roommate ended up being my absolute best friend at school. She kept me sane and on the right track. To say that we were attached at the hip would be an understatement -- we were always together. People even thought that we were related.
I know that not everyone will be as lucky as I am and have a roommate who ends up being like family, but it's important, that even if you aren't close, that you know certain things about them and they know certain things about you.
1. Family contacts
Make sure you exchange your parent's phone numbers because in the case of an emergency, sickness, broken phone, etc., someone else will be able to contact your family. It may seem dumb, but it actually helped my roommate and I multiple times throughout the year.
2. Allergies
Dorm rooms are tiny and if you are allergic to something and your roommate shows up with it, that is not going to be too healthy for you.
3. Medications
Inhalers? Allergy pills? Anxiety medication? My roommate even knew that I took Biotin every night. It's important for someone else to know what you're taking in case of an emergency.
4. Schedule
No one else is looking out for you at school except for you and your roommate. They are the person who will know whether or not you came home after the library or a night out. It will take two seconds out of your day to shoot them a text and let them know where you are to ensure your safety.
5. Sleep schedule
Along with your academic and social schedule, your sleep schedule is very important college. Make sure that you are both on the same track about where you stand with when lights will be shut off and room preferences while the other is sleeping.
6. Preferences
Noise or quiet while you study? People hanging out in your room? People spending the night?
7. Cleanliness
Neither my roommate or I were the cleanest people, but we had a pretty good understanding of what the room should look like. We alternated with vacuuming and dusting every two weeks and always made sure to clean before we left for breaks.
8. Sharing is caring
Make sure you discuss which things in the room are fair game and which are personal. Especially for girls, discuss your clothing policy. For us, we just made sure we asked before we wore it.
9. Pet peeves
Luckily my roomie and I were pretty much the same person, so we never had an issue, but pet peeves can put you and your roommate in turmoil. Make sure you guys know what gets the other hot and bothered because in a small room that (most likely) doesn't have air conditioning, that will be the worst!
10. Interests
Know what they like and what they dislike. Take note of things that make them feel better so that when they're in the dumps one day you can help, and vice versa. I knew shopping and certain food, like the crepe place downtown and the ice cream place on campus, could put my roommate in a better mood.
11. Home life
Take an interest in where they came from and what their friends and family are like. Trust me, it will help you feel less homesick when you can talk to someone about it. Also, it's kind of cool to hear about your roommate's life pre-college.
