Every college student should consider getting a pet. Yes, it's a lot of work. And yes, sometimes you will feel guilty that you aren't home enough to play. Sometimes they will wake you up in the middle of the night or keep you from falling asleep. They require A LOT of cleaning up after (especially when you are a poor college student just renting an apartment), and they are always more than you bargained for. I'm sure you're thinking, "That sounds awful! Why does she recommend having a pet?"

First, there's something about sharing a living space (a room more specifically) with another living thing that's comforting. If you are anything like me, it provides a set of ears to listen to your rants and raves. Sometimes animals are the best to talk to because they can't answer…they also don't understand anything you're saying so your secrets are safe with them.

Growing up I never had to share a room, but I always slept with my door open so I could see my brother's room across the hall. Even though he's younger than me, I felt safer just knowing there was another living thing in the same vicinity as myself. It's kind of the same thing with pets. Even though I know my two chinchillas would run and hide rather than save me from a murderer, I feel safer, more secure with them around.

When you really think about it, statistically speaking that is, most of your life will be spent sharing a bed or at least a living space with someone else. So, going to college, moving out, sharing an apartment but sleeping in a room alone can be intimidating. Unfortunately, though the presence of my chinchillas gives me comfort, it took some getting used to. Their late night roughhousing and wheel-runs have become like white noise to me, but not so much for my roommates.

Second, as a kid, I'm sure we all begged for a pet. I know I did. And what did my parents always say? "It's a lot of responsibility." Honestly, it's the same thing they said when I got my first chinchilla…and my second…and when my fiancé and I adopted our second cat…and recently rescued a kitten. I know I sound like a crazy zoo lady (I should also mention I have two beta fish). Why on earth would I want more responsibility in college? A time when balancing fun and responsibility is incredibly difficult. A time when money is tight and time is even tighter.

Truthfully, I am a procrastinator at heart. Only, I don't procrastinate by watching TV, taking a nap, or going out with friends. I clean, cook, organize, essentially I do "meaningful" busywork. Taking care of my fiancés three cats, my two chinchillas, and my betas help me to take my mind off of my responsibilities. It's my decompressing time. Providing for another living thing not only keeps you accountable but forces you to think about something other than yourself.

Finally, and in conjunction with reason number two, having a pet in college keeps you grounded. College is an interesting time in your life. It's a time where many of your core beliefs are challenged, maybe even changed. You are adapting to a new place, a new way of life, a new set of friends, and a new routine. It's not constant — changing from day-to-day and semester-to-semester.

Having a pet, something you come home to every day, something that's waiting for you to walk in, who relies on you for love, food, water, is something constant. The times you start to feel like things are slipping out of your control, or things are changing too quickly, your little furry or scaly companion is always there to remind you that no matter how you feel that day, that week, that month, something needs you.

Now, I understand that adopting a pet is not always the right choice. It is important to make sure you have the room, time, and resources to take care of an animal. But, if given the opportunity while in college, I highly recommend adopting a little furry friend. Maybe not a chinchilla though. They will take all of your pens and hide them under your bed so you can't reach them.