One of the best parts of college is meeting tons of new people and finding amazing friends. Coming in as a freshman, everyone hopes that will be BFFs with their roomie and do everything together. We like to think that school won't be challenging and life will be all fun and games.
But just as much as school only being fun isn't realistic, neither is being guaranteed best friends with your roommate. I'm not saying it can't happen, but the occasion is rare.
My first-semester roommate and I didn't work out, to say the least. She ended up transferring schools and we haven't spoken since. I had high hopes for us becoming best friends, but things just didn't work out.
Living with someone is completely different than just being friends with them. You're with them when they are most vulnerable because they are in their safe place. For some, this brings people together, but for others, it tears them apart.
For example, being forced to be with them hours on end can become too much and you start to realize that maybe you aren't as similar as you thought. They start to get on your nerves and basically just drive you crazy.
After talking to numerous people who are going through the same thing, I've finally accepted that this is NORMAL.
The chances of you being best friends with your roommate are slim, but this doesn't mean you can't be civil or even enjoy being each other's roommates.
It's almost nicer to be more distant because you're not together all the time, so when you are in the same room at night, you can catch up on both of your days.
I've always believed that you can't force people to become friends. I'm a very independent person, so I'm drawn to other people who are as well.
I value the quality of friends over quantity, so it doesn't bother me that I won't always be best friends with the person I'm rooming with.
I don't think there's anything wrong with living with your best friend, but I'd advise everyone to not expect to hang out all the time or eat every meal together.
That's not even realistic.
Just be a respectful roommate to one another, and you'll enjoy being there with one another! Remember, you're the only two person who know what living with each other is like.
