College is one stepping stone within someone's life that everyone wants to get right. But how often do people go to college and realize they weren't as close to their roommate as they wish they could be? Starting a new life can be scary and often times meeting you're roommate for the first time is quite nerve racking.
For a lot of colleges, the dorms are highly diverse and mixed with many different personalities; but the one thing that matters the most is how you feel about a new stranger you're going to be living with. For me, I got lucky. When I first met my roommate, we instantly clicked; he soon there after became my closest friend.
It's strange how one stranger can have such a big impact on you; so how do you find out if you and you're roommate are compatible? Start off trying to do things/events with them; try to understand them as a person and see if you can connect with their past. Now I know that seems so simple, but often times that small amount of time doing that can save you stress in the long run.
For an example, when me and my roommate first met, it had been very short notice for him that I was moving into his room; while things were awkward at first we soon starting just talking about random things like, movies, comics and video games. After talking to him for a few minutes, I had asked him to get dinner at the dinning hall and tried to figure out who he was. Come to find out, him and I were exactly the same person; It was honestly calming yet freaky in a way.
Although, often roommates are not always that lucky; things seem to be amazing at first but because they never did anything together or really knew their roommate as a person, things tended to go down hill for them; and ultimately they had to switch roommates half way through their first quarter, or even some time after the quarter ends.
It is the simplest answers that often make for the most complex situations. Having someone in you're life that you are able to connect with and truly be happy living with, is extremely important. So when it comes to meeting a complete stranger for the first time, that you are going to be living with; try to find common ground, take them to events or go to the dinning hall with them.
Get to know the person you're ultimately going have to deal with and support for years to come; then decide if you're life style aligns with theirs. If by any chance your life does not connect to theirs, then just respectfully ask to switch rooms; just don't wait too long, because it could do more damage for the both of you, than good.
