When I was younger and thought about college, I always assumed I would get a single room. It seemed the most logical — I am shy, reserved, and definitely have some awful sleeping habits. I'm the type of person who needs that time alone to recharge, so to speak. In the end, however, I decided to take the chance with a roommate, and it was the best decision I made in college so far.

Those first few days in college are some of the hardest and most emotionally stressful. We're apart from our parents for what may be the first time where it really counts and all of a sudden we're scrambling to make friends and learn the way of this strange land. Having a roommate is like having an instant friend. You already have someone to go to all those first-week events with, even if all you do is just stand side by side all night.

There’s something comforting in knowing that someone is going through the same experience as you. When the night ends and everyone’s back behind closed doors, having her presence made spending my first night away from home a little less intimidating. We didn’t have to talk every minute of the day, either. Just having another person there is comforting in a way that transcends words.

I know not everyone gets along with their roommate (or roommates if they were placed in the forever-abhorred triple or quad dorms). My roommate and I, though, live in a peaceful harmony that not many people are lucky to have.

There are girls who do everything together, and there are girls who do nothing but fight. It’s easy to assume, or just hope, that having a roommate means you’re going to share everything, that you’re going to get a sister out of the process. In my life, I’ve found that when people become too close too fast, they end up blurring each other’s boundaries.

Tempers rise, resentments form, and everything begins to boil over. What I love about my roommate is that she gives me space, and I always try to give her the same. We coexist side by side, just two separate worlds gently orbiting around each other.

At first, I thought this routine would be uncomfortable and awkward. In the end, however, this ended up being exactly the kind of dynamic I needed. We never fought, never even raised our voices at each other.

No, we are not conjoined at the hip or spend our Friday nights having heart-to-hearts, but that's okay. Despite this, we have grown, consciously or not, a bond founded on respect and kindness that I am so ever lucky to have.

Always wishing you well, G.