Dear Megan and Emily,

Without you, my transition into college would have been so much more difficult.

Before coming to college, I didn’t want my Golden Summer to end -- it was filled with 2 AM cafe runs, crazy karaoke sessions, taco trucks, and midnight horror movies. I felt so happy to be with my friends and family all the time -- without the pressure of summer homework or SAT prep books begging to be worked on. So, as move-in day started to creep up, I felt anxious and scared about leaving all of this greatness behind. I was scared about the new environment. Scared about the infamous college work load.

But what I was most scared about was what my roommates (you guys) were going to be like. Although everyone told me not to expect much, I still wanted to become best friends with the people I was to share a small space with.

So when my friend back home (who is now on the East Coast) told me about how her and her then-future roomie conversed every single day, I already felt like we were behind the game as roommates -- we didn’t chat on Facebook everyday like they did. In fact, the only times we would talk were when we had to figure out the very basic things like fridge + microwave (shout out to Venmo).

And, on Saturday, August 20, when we met for the first time in real life in our little triple, I have to say it was pretty awkward. While we were trying to figure out who gets which bed/desk/closet, I could tell all of us were thinking the same thing -- that we will probably just respect each others spaces and that will be that. But, as we spent those first couple of days and nights together, I started to feel very comfortable and open around you. Our conversations would range from casual to personal, from sad to funny. In such a short amount of time, you have truly become my best friends.

We now have random 10 minute jam sessions in our room, know each other’s pet peeves, secrets, likes and dislikes (#ariel) and even have a Roommates Bucket List.

Without you, right now, I would be stuck with a major case of FOMO (since most of my friends back home don’t start school until mid-September). Without you, right now, I would be extremely homesick. Without you, right now, I would not be enjoying college as much as I am. So thank you for being the most encouraging friends that I could have ever asked for at Berkeley.

PS: I still can’t believe that we found each other on the day roommate applications were due and turned it in pretty much last minute…

Jisoo