Going from being an only child to living in a five-bedroom house with four other girls was kind of a scary idea last summer, but let me tell you: it was one of the best decisions I have made so far in college.
Whenever I told a relative or family friend that I was moving out of the dorms and into a five-bedroom house, I always got very scared looks and concerned words of advice. The mess would be atrocious, I would never be able to get a good night's sleep, and the big one: I would constantly be in the middle of a ton of drama.
Not only was I moving into a house with four other roommates, but they were pretty much all strangers to me when we signed the lease. Finding housing in college can be extremely stressful and you have to be ready to not get exactly what you want. Living with a friend of a friend might be your best option. This is obviously risky, but it can also be one of the most fun and exciting experiences of college.
Living with people who aren't your best friends can be the perfect housing arrangement because there are literally no expectations. With no expectations going in, your roommates can basically only exceed them. Much to my family and friends' surprise, my roommates and I never once had house drama this last year. Obviously we didn't agree on every little thing, but learning how to compromise and accept that other people's opinions are just as valid as your own saved us from many a roommate squabble.
Obviously, personality traits also play into this. I got lucky because all of my roommates genuinely wanted to be friends with each other and wanted to get along. Some people are more inclined to fighting and can be extremely stubborn, but by prioritizing the roommate dynamic over our own individual plans for the house, we were able to get along from the very beginning.
Things like messiness and noise level are also things that can be worked out as long as everyone is willing to respect their roommates' needs. By not having any previous drama with any of the people I lived with last year, we were able to move in and everyone had a clean slate no matter what their roommate experience had been the previous year.
We all were very eager for this house to work out. Because of this attitude going in, we were all willing to make small changes to make our roommates' lives easier. It's all about understanding how other people live and being willing to adapt to that. I am not recommending that you make a million sacrifices so all your roommates are happy, but if everyone just tries a little bit, it goes a long way.
A great way to address things that need to be discussed as a house is having family dinner. This is so much more fun than house meetings or just shooting a text. Also, with so many people living together, we would rarely all be in the same room, so scheduling family dinner was a good way to check in with everybody.
This year was a huge risk, but it worked out better than I could have imagined. I think it's possible for everyone to have fun, drama-free roommate experiences -- it just takes a little work and cooperation. Some people thrive in a more quiet environment with one or two roommates, and some like the extra company. It's all about knowing who you are and what housing arrangement works best with your personality. For me, living with a lot of roommates is perfect because we're all very different, which means it's never boring.
Next year, the five of us are all living together again, but we're adding two more roommates! Seeing people's reactions to this is even funnier than the first time. They are absolutely shocked that I willingly chose to sign a lease with six other girls. But at the end of the day, I would rather come home to a messy kitchen and a bunch of people I love than a perfect apartment with roommates I don't really like.
