I love my roommate. Her name is Madeline and we were on a mission trip together. Though we didn’t meet while on that trip, we met through a mutual friend on that mission trip. Through many text messages over the summer we bonded and I learned that we have many of the same interests but we also have very different personalities. I’m type B personality. I’m disorganized, messy, spontaneous, easy-going and I don’t mind when the plans change. M is the complete opposite. She’s very structured. She has her entire life scheduled out on her phone; classes, study time, meetings even what time she is going to eat lunch. She is very neat, high-stress and she is frazzled when plans change. Although we are complete opposites, we each other out very well. I encourage her to take breaks during studying and to have fun on the weekends and she encourages me not to procrastinate on my homework. Here are seven things that I have learned living with a Type A person for the past few months.
1. You give many reassuring pep-talks
They go something like this, “I promise you, you didn’t fail your Chem test. You stayed up studying until 2am” and then finding out later that she got an A+.
2. You have to force yourself to be neat
She likes neat and so do you just not enough to keep your small rectangle of space neat. Also, the “it looks neat to me is not sufficient” I know my lack of tidiness stresses my roommate out do I do my best to keep neat.
3. You have to come up with plans a week in advance
“So what are we doing this weekend?’” she asks me on Tuesday. “I don’t know is usually my response until Friday night. Our friend group is the most unstructured, chaotic group I’ve ever met but we always have a good time. Our weekend plans usually do not come together until the weekend and that does not sit well with Madeline.
4. You procrastinate less
How can I put off homework and watch Netflix when she is studying away?
5. You meet more people
Madeline is social butterfly, she LOVES to talk and she can talk to any body. I don’t believe that I would have met as many people as I have without her.
6. You are always informed of the goings-on of campus
I really do not think that I would have made it to any of the meetings that we had to attend the first few weeks of school or know about special events on campus if I didn’t have Madeline constantly checking her email.
7. You never worry about forgetting something
She is always prepared. She came to college with everything that she does and does not need. Find a hole in your favorite sweater? The sewing kits is in the middle drawer. Wrinkly shirt? Not only did she bring and iron and ironing board, she’ll also teach you how to use it. She also carries a pair of scissors with her wherever she goes. I can’t count the number of times that we have needed them.
Living with Madeleine has been an adventure and I'm sure that she can say the same about living with me. When you start to search for a roommate, do not be afraid to room with someone of a different personality type. Madeline and I have similar interests and that has been more than enough for us.
