I made it to my junior year of college before I encountered my first dorm experience. Studying abroad in the UK, I lived in a house with four other American students, one of whom I shared a bedroom with. The last time I'd had a roommate, I was six and slept on the bottom bunk below my big sister, so needless to say, I was kind of nervous.

Over the course of nine months, I learned intimately about the struggles of having a roommate. Like seriously needing the bathroom when your roommate's in the shower. Or wanting to blast your favorite iTunes playlist, but you can't because the roommate (doesn't appreciate good music) is “studying.” But more importantly, my dorm experience made me examine my own lifestyle and taught me some pretty handy general rules about life.

1. I'm more social than I thought.

Which is saying something, because I'm pretty damn social. Making friends has always come naturally to me, and talking someone's ear off is my best talent. But living in a house with four strangers, away from my family and friends, I realized just how important it was for me to simply be around people. Even if my roommate and I didn't swap a single word all evening, having her in the room, just having someone there, made me feel more at home. This was especially evident at meal times. While I'm all game for an evening of Chinese take-out and Netflix, eating dinner solo every night can make a girl feel more than lonely. Some of my best memories of the house are of those late night chats around the kitchen table after a meal, fussing about professors and whining about essays until two a.m..

2. I'm more introverted than I thought.

Okay, yes, I realize this statement is in total opposition with the first. I love people, and I need social interaction, but on the other hand, a little alone time is healthy for everyone. Sometimes I just need to get away from everyone and binge watch Scandal and wish that I was Olivia Pope. Sometimes I need to be alone so I can dance around my room to Taylor Swift like this:

The point is, no matter how much of a social butterfly I like to think I am, everyone can be a little introverted sometimes, and living in a dorm taught me that that's perfectly okay.

3. I'm the messy one.

I like my space to reflect my life—it's all about controlled chaos. When I say “messy,” it's less of a leaving-the-cap-off-the-toothpaste and more of a clothes-everywhere kind of deal. Realizing that my chaos was, at times, encroaching on my roommate's space actually taught me how to be a bit more organized and kept me from crossing the delicate line between being messy and being a hot mess.

4. It's all about compromise.

This is a no-brainer. I knew I would have to compromise when living in a dorm, but I was sometimes surprised at the things I had to compromise on. I'm a very kinetic person—I like to keep moving. So, when I study, I tap my foot. I drum my fingers on the desk. I beat out rhythms with my pencil. Basically, I make a lot of noise. And it bugged the hell out of my roommate. Just like the fact that she woke up at 5am every morning (and proceeded to make as much noise as humanly possible as she got ready for the day) bugged me.

The key to compromise, we learned, is the ability to negotiate: I would study in the library, if she would blow-dry her hair in the downstairs bathroom.

5. Don't sweat the little things.

This sort of goes right along with compromise and is equally important. When you have a roommate, you're practically living on top of the other person, which means you'll learn all about that person's annoying little habits. Like giggling at YouTube videos at three a.m. or never replacing the toilet paper roll. While it can difficult to not obsess about these little traits, my roommate's annoying habits made me think about my own: I hum a lot, and I crunch ice constantly. Recognizing your own faults can make it easier to ignore your roommate's. Once you can laugh about the little things, your rooming situation will be much happier—and so will you.

Basically, having a roommate is less like this:

And more like this:

But it can still be the greatest thing ever.