Last year I decided to sign a lease to live in an apartment with 5 other people. My parent's reaction: they were surprised at the number and the fact that we would be living in an apartment instead of a house. But honestly it's not that bad, plus I roomed with amazing people.
I went in sort of blind in this decision. First, all these people are ones that I've known for less than a year. I met them around the time of the first semester of my first year at UT. I met them through friends I made in a class. They decided that they wanted to get an apartment next year, and the time I heard about this, I chimed in so I wouldn't be stuck living in the dorms (I recommend living off campus, it is possible to find a more affordable living situation.). We ended up finding a realtor and an apartment complex. Sign and pay! (Don't worry; I still consulted with my parents, and it is a must to do your research!) I found a home!
From what I hear from most people, they usually room with a person from their high school along with strangers. That's mostly the end of it and no further friendships are made or created. However, with me, I made friends with my roommates and met more people through them. The great thing about living with five different people is meeting and experiencing new and different things. It is crucial to meet new people in your life. Having connections and relationships in your life helps make living on your own not as scary as it sounds.
My roommates are all wonderful, beautiful, and genuine people. I learned so many things about them and I've shared stories of mine. We have get-togethers, watch movies, go shopping, eat out, go out and every now and then we have family dinner.
Of course, we have our private moments and tend to our own busy lives, but we are always here for each other and we help one another out.
The only bad thing I can think about my living situation is that we need a bigger fridge! Besides that, rent is below $600 (we do share rooms). In my opinion, it's been pretty great. Maybe it was by chance, but I got lucky with pretty funny and great roommates that I hope to live with for the rest of the college years. So in the end, living with five people isn't at all bad.
