If you're a senior in high school, chances are that you're trying to decide what college you want to commit to. Once you do that, there's the next order of business: finding your freshman-year roommate. Many people go with a random roommate or find someone on Facebook, but a few people, like me, decided to room with a friend from high school. If you're someone who is considering rooming with a high-school friend, here are ten things you're going to learn about them when you start living together.
1. You will see them at their worst.
In general, when you are sharing a room with someone, you are going to see them in their most natural form. The person you knew in high school who you never saw without makeup will transform into a makeup-free, ratty-sweatpant-wearing sort of mess -- and so will you. You'll see them at their happiest; you'll also see them yelling in rage. It's all part of the process.
2. You will learn all of their (sometimes strange) habits.
You might already know some of their habits from when you knew them in high school, but this will be taken to an entirely new level. It'll start with basic things, like how long they take to get ready in the morning, but before you know it, you'll be able to tell how many times your roommate will hit the snooze button before getting up.
3. You'll learn all their opinions about people from your high school.
Did you both have a mutual acquaintance from high school who neither of you were very fond of? You're going to find out how your friend-turned-roommate really feels about that person from high school who keeps posting selfies on Facebook every day, or what they thought about the kid in all your classes who was borderline obnoxious.
4. You will learn all about their real work ethic.
Did you think your friend was on top of their game in high school, in varsity sports and in a ton of clubs while simultaneously getting straight A's? After staying up until 3 AM procrastinating, you may find yourself wondering how both of you even passed high school.
5. You will learn about things that were going on in their life while you knew them.
Eventually, you and your roommate might end up talking about things that happened while you were in high school. You'll end up learning about things that occurred in their life that you never knew about, and these things may have been happening when you were acquainted with them. If you had the notion that their life was perfect in high school, you'll realize that just like anyone else, they had their own struggles to overcome.
6. You will learn what they are most interested in.
In high school, they might have never talked about certain topics, but when you might learn that they have certain interests that you never expected. Your roommate may have seemed apolitical when you were friends in high school, but after living with them, you might learn that they could go on an intelligent rant about politicians for hours.
7. You will learn all about their guilty indulgences.
Your roommate may be a driven pre-med student, but they're not watching Grey's Anatomy in their free time. Instead, you'll find that enthusiastically binge-watching Dance Moms while eating yesterday's microwaved Panda Express leftovers is the highlight of their day.
8. You might realize how little you knew about them in high school.
From their (lack of a) sleep pattern to their family life to the words they love to use most, you might be surprised how little you knew about your high school friend-- and how much you learned about them after living with them. But despite everything you now know about them, you can't imagine your roommate being anyone else!
