Get ready for some hard reality. It's not all glamorous sleepovers, I promise...
If your roommate is sick, you're more than likely going to get sick as well
My roommate and I have traded off illnesses since the beginning of the year. Right when you're getting over it, their starting up their first round of antibiotics. Therefore, your local CVS or Walgreens is going to become your best friend. Whether it's buying cleaning supplies, medicine, or snacks to make yourself feel better, it is unbelievable how much money I've spent at CVS. It got to the point where I asked for a gift card for Christmas...
The walls are VERY thin.
The amount of times I have heard people yelling from the hallway, someone banging their one night stand, or suitemates cackling at 2:00 in the morning is kind of insane. For those who didn't know, we can hear you. Even I'm guilty of scream singing with my friends during our impromptu dance parties. However, the one thing they never explain is how to say "Shut up" without coming across as a jerk.
Living with your best friend is a blessing and a curse.
They always tell you that a good roommate makes or breaks your freshman year. However, I got extremely lucky and became best friend with my roommate. This is awesome when things are going smoothly. When you want to borrow clothes or hang out, you always have some. But if there's any drama in the friend group, you can't escape it. Whether it involves you or not, you tend to get sucked in.
The room doesn't clean itself
I know I'm guilty of this but if you don't clean the room, it won't clean itself. If you don't take out the trash, it will sit there. The room can turn into such a mess if you don't learn to take care of it properly and trust me, it can get bad. This isn't a hotel and there isn't a maid service so you can add cleaning supplies to your list of things to get at CVS.
Getting ready to go out gets a little cramped
I was lucky enough to have my own bathroom at home but I have realized just how hard it is to share a bathroom when you're both trying to get ready at the same time. When I'm trying to straighten my hair, she wants to curl hers. If she's doing her make up, I need to wash my hands. We just can't ever seem to coordinate. I don't think there's really a great way to do it unless you make a system. My roommate and I have not cracked that code yet.
In conclusion, it's easy to say living in a dorm isn't always the best but I'm so thankful for having lived here the past few months because I've made some of my best friends through living on campus. It may not be the best but it definitely has its perks. Just learn to look past some of it and your freshmen year will go amazingly.
