Living Alone Taught Me To Branch Out

My first semester of college was going great. I was getting the hang of my classes, had made some really good friendships with my sorority sisters and was getting along with my roommate. Not that I was worried about us two getting along, just nervous about sharing a room and how that all would work, but to my delight, we had become friends and things were great.

About a week before fall finals my roommate told me she was leaving Western. I was sad when she told because we had become friends. We would sit in our beds and talk while we did homework, watch tv and occasionally go on a food run together. Then I had to figure out what I was going to do for the spring semester. I could get assigned a random roommate, find someone who also was looking to move, or I could pay extra to make my current room a single room.

Well, I had seen the movie "The Roommate" so a random was out of the question. I could not find anyone looking to move rooms and I did not want to have to move by myself, so I was to my last resort.

I was going to live alone next semester.

I was scared for a number of reasons. I was afraid I would get lonely. That I would just sit in my room with no social interaction and I was afraid what that would do to me. I think my worries got a little out of hand because living alone has actually helped me, changed me in a way even.

Yes, the room to myself is nice. I do not have to worry about waking anyone up when I come in late or leave early for class. I have 2 clothes now. I can listen to music or watch Netflix whenever I want without headphones. But really I am not in my room that often at all.

Living alone has forced me to branch out. If I wanna study I will go to my sorority house. There is always someone there to talk to or just sit and be company while you study. Or someone to get you sucked into a crazy binge of SVU. I make plans to eat with friends instead of always bringing it back to my room to eat.

Yes, I miss having a roommate sometimes like when I am pulling an all-nighter to finish assignments or to encourage me to watch the next episode of Gossip Girl or just to talk.

But I think living alone was exactly what I needed right now.

Because I spend so much time at my sorority house I am now living there next year, with a roommate, and I can not wait. I have made many more friends in my classes and such that I might not have made.

And maybe, Just maybe I will miss my little dorm in Rodes Harlin.