While move-in day of freshman year is stressful, nothing, however, compares to the excitement of going to college and living on your own for the first time. You’re hurriedly unloading all of your stuff into half of an already tiny room, with your sad mom wiping her tears away and your proud father telling everyone that he sees how you’re coming to college on a full academic scholarship. The first time you meet the people in your hall, you’re probably sweaty, disheveled, and a little sad. You can’t imagine how they would fit another person into this tiny space … and then, you meet your roommate.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably barely spoken to or seen this person other than through an extensive Facebook stalking session. But don’t fret. Coming from experience, here are several things to expect while living with a random roommate:

1. Wear headphones all the time. You don’t want them to disturb you as much as they don’t want you to disturb them. Keep your jam sesh to yourself and wear your headphones. 

2. You will feel guilty eating pizza when your roommate is munching on salad at least once. Undoubtedly, you both will think at some point during the semester “I’m going on a diet now.” These times probably won’t occur simultaneously, so be prepared for your roommate to tell you how Ramen noodles is mainly styrofoam and that canned soup is so incredibly full of preservatives.

3. (Girls only) There will be hair. Everywhere. You supposedly shed 100 strands of hair a day. With two of you living in the same room with long luscious locks, your brunette self may find a blonde hair in every crack and crevice on your side of the dorm room.

4. Healthy habits are contagious. If you aren’t brushing twice a day, but your roommate is, you will probably unknowingly be encouraged to scrub those pearly whites.

5. Your roommate's love for bad reality TV will rub off on you. My roommate and I religiously watch Ink Master. (If you don’t know what that is, WATCH). Neither of us has tattoos, but we can tell you everything you’d ever want to know.

6. You will learn to sleep through everything. Oh, a blow dryer is running fifteen feet away from me? No worries, I’ll just take a nap.

7. If you don’t force it, you may walk away with a new friendship. I never expected to love my roommate, I just expected for us to coexist harmoniously. I have never tried to be friends with her, but instead it just happened. We are two very different people, but learning from each other’s differences has caused us to appreciate them.