“People change people, that’s the secret of life.” - Cory Mathews (Ben Savage), "Girl Meets World"

When people talk about college, they often try to promote self-awareness for people who have yet to experience it. I know for sure that when going into college, it’s often hard to know what to expect. But after experiencing college, there are so many things I wish I knew going in.

There are so many things that the upperclassmen don’t tell you because they can’t tell you. Because living and learning on your own is the only way to understand what really matters to you. To know what you struggle with, you must first experience and encounter difficult situations on your own and handle them in your own way.

For me, college has been all about learning experiences. I learned that I don’t like being social as much as I like talking. I learned that when I am passionate about something, I like to tell other people about it. I learned that sometimes it's good to just sit and do stuff together, no drama, talking or giggling necessary. I learned that Netflix is more my enemy than my friend.

One of the biggest and most common pieces of offered advice is “never room with your best friend,” but this advice does not apply to everyone. In fact, some people who room with their best friends find that they could never find a better roommate. I have chosen to live with my best friend next year, and I am full of reasons that we will be OK, better than OK, that we will thrive as roommates.

We aren't the same. Or even similar. There are people out there who are so similar to us, and those are the people we can’t live with. They know how to get on our nerves because they tick the same way, and even though we think the same, we clash like no other. This isn’t the case with my roommate, Kara. She and I do have our similarities, but nothing that will cause us to clash. There aren’t any features that grind like misshapen gears.

We understand each other. And we listen to each other, which is important. She isn't afraid to tell me when I am out of line, or when she doesn't agree with me, and I am more than capable of doing the same. She is strong-willed and opinionated, but she’s also calm and understanding, which makes her the best match for me.

She sees things, and she gets it. And she is always there to talk about it. Not everything makes sense, and not everything has a purpose. But sometimes, we still understand how something could make complete sense and no sense at all. When I don’t understand, sometimes just sitting down and talking about it helps me to wrap my head around it a little tighter. I can always count on my best friend and future roommate to be there to talk to me.

And we talk about it. Whatever “it” is, we don’t jump to the dramatic, even though I am a drama queen. When a problem arises, we are able to just sit and speak to each other. She is so level-headed when it comes to me, and she is able to see both sides of a situation. She understands every side of the things we deal with, and it is no trouble to end a conversation laughing.

And overall, she is a great human being. When you have a best friend like Kara, then you are just happy to be around her. She has a goofy boyfriend who we met on my birthday. She suggested a European theme for our room as if she was seeing me right down to my soul. She likes to go out, and listen to loud music and have fun. She likes to pamper herself and have girls' nights, and she taught me everything I know about makeup.

I am so thankful for Kara. She has dived headfirst into so many new opportunities with me. She became a brother in Alpha Phi Omega with me, she went to countless campus events and lectures with me, and she even went with me to cover events for the newspaper. I couldn’t ask for a better person to share my quarters with. She is my best friend, my roommate and my sister. I am so excited to share the next year of my academic journey with her.