College is a tricky time of your life. You are stressed out to the max about classes, you are confused about what you even want to do with your career. They weren't kidding when they said it is the best times of your life,though. I think I can speak for almost everyone that has to go from living in a room by yourself to having to share a tiny dorm room with someone, it is something you can't prepare yourself for.
I had my own bedroom for my whole life, queen-sized bed and tons of closet space. I will be honest, I am an absolute mess. I get way to tied up in my outside life, that I forget that I decided to change my outfit three times before having to leave and now every single piece of clothing I own is thrown across the room. Back at home in my small-town bedroom, I would be able to escape my room to cry, scream, or do whatever I need in peace. In a tiny dorm room, you can't do that. I wasn't sure how I was going to adjust to having to share a space with another person.
I probably won't be the first person to say this but having roommates will make or break your college career. You want someone that has the same interests as you, some of the same goals or someone you generally get along with. Let's be honest though, sometimes that just doesn't happen. There are so many roommate stories that go around, whether they are good or bad. My freshman year of college, there were two girls that lived down the hall that got into screaming matches with each other almost ever single week about who knows what. From that same floor, there are so many girls that are still living together three years later.
My first two years, I had fantastic roommates. We would make so many memories like staying up late at night, giggling at nothing or making pointless Target runs. They both came to find out very quick that I was quite the piece of work. Those two girls would support me in whatever I would do, even it was a little bit crazy.I went through a couple rough patches, I was able to lean on them and know that they would be there for in our small shared room. They made it the best two years possible.
My junior year, I went out on a limb to give myself the best chance for my future and transferred schools. It wasn't my first choice, but I got stuck inside a tiny dorm room for a third year in a row. I had been thrown into a random room with a girl that I didn't know very well. This first couple months of my junior year have been sort of a downward spiral. It was hard for me to leave all my friends, so it was a difficult transition. Before classes even started, I burned a bridge with someone that I thought was going to be in my life for a while. It was something very hard for me to deal with. There were some days I just didn't want to get out of bed, I was not motivated to do anything. It was honestly physically and mentally draining. (Disclaimer: I'm not saying this roommate is awful, I just don't know her well enough to confide in my personal problems.) I wasn't use to not having the same support system around me so in turn, it made everything else in my life crappy.
I didn't believe it when people would say the people you live with can really influence how your college time goes. I just thought it was an empty statement, but little did I know it will happen to me. My experience wasn't very bad, for me it was just a hard adjustment that affected the everything else around me. For others, it can be just terrible for them. They can avoid the room at all costs, be afraid to walk in there, make any sort of misstep because their living situation is so bad for them.
So, if you are going through something similar, here is some advice for you: you can't control everything sometimes you just have go with the flow. It may seem hard now but just know the tough times you are going through right now will be worth the joy that is coming your way.
