Going to college is always a new and exciting experience, especially during your first year. For most of you, as a freshman, you will live in the dorms and that in itself is a hassle and a half. The dorms are a mixture of fun and stressful. There will be many challenges as you go through your first year. One main challenge is your freshman roommate.
As a freshman, you’re super excited to finally be away from your parents as well as being on your own for the first time. This is the first time you’re really on your own. If you’re an only child this is also the first time you’ll be sharing anything of yours with someone else. That person is your roommate for the next year. By the time you’re about to get your roommate assignment the thought of what the perfect roommate will be like and you’re hoping that the roommate you get will fit that perfect image. You’re probably hoping that your roommate wants to stay up or doesn’t have 8AM classes. Or that doesn’t have some crazy habit like biting their own toenails off. You’re also hoping that your roommate is someone that you can talk to and confide in.
You’re probably worried about getting a roommate that you can’t stand or that you won’t get along with. Either way you’re nervous for who you will be living with for the next year and don’t know what to expect and the wait isn’t helping the anxiety you feel about your new roommate. It’s perfectly normal to be a little nervous when it comes to waiting for who your new roommate will be.
I’m sure you’ve heard of all the horror stories about the worst roommates ever like the ones that steal your things or the ones that have no boundaries at all. My roommate had a roommate before me and they didn’t get along with each other at all, not for the lack of trying on the part of my roommate. It got to the point that her friends weren’t even allowed to be in their room during specific times that were specified by her roommate. Near the end of the first quarter, my roommate felt so unsafe that she stayed in my room. In the end, her old roommate got kicked out of the dorms for threatening every girl in the hall. This was a traumatic event nonetheless for everyone.
If you do get someone like this then run for the hills, or put in for a roommate change. Just kidding, not all roommates are as bad as my roommate’s situation. I had another friend who went with a random roommate and got paired with an international student that didn’t really speak english too well. They didn’t necessarily become friends but they respected one another and got along well. They had a mutual agreement on when to have people over and when they needed their own personal space. In the end, my friend and her roommate were able to coexist well enough that they live together in an apartment this year.
The key part of my friend and her roommate getting along was communication. Most of your problems can be solved with a simple conversation with said roommate. There will be things that irk you about your roommate whether or not you guys get along or not. The key to getting over these things is to just have an open channel of communication between you and your roommate. As long as you are sitting down with a level head to talk to them any problems between the two of you should be fixed in no time. Don’t go posting passive aggressive on the door of your room for the entire dorm to read without letting your roommate know ahead of time first. Not only is this a sure way to alienate your roommate but it will also destroy any kind of relationship you had with them. Talk things out with them. Let them know how you are feeling.
Going random isn’t always as horrible as it seems. You could get a really awesome roommate that will become one of your best friends. You could also end with someone who will only be an acquaintance at best. Between the good, the bad, and the ugly a random roommate is the best way to create your first friend in college.
