*All names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals*
It's move-in day, freshman year of college. You pull up to your square, brick building and have your Dad open the trunk as 3 brightly-dressed upperclassmen run up to you yelling and singing "Welcome!" To say you are a little nervous, never mind intimidated, is an understatement. Then you proceed through the front door, make the first right turn, then a left, and count down the room numbers until you reach it - 119. The doors already open.
Roommates are a natural part of your college experience, and whether they become your best friend, or worst nemesis, they will always hold a memory of your freshman year. Everyone has a different experience, and you really never know what to expect. That being said, here are some real stories from myself and some friends, all who had very different roommate experiences.
Tina and Sophie
Both girls went in for the random roommate match through Villanova, and after being paired up texted briefly before school started. Going into the experience, both wanted to keep an open mind and see what was to come.
As soon as they began to interact, however, Sophie immediately noticed weird vibes. Both girls had very different interests and preferences on sleep schedule, room temperature, among other things. Second semester, when an opening in one of Tina's friends rooms opened up, Sophie was hopeful that Tina would want to switch rooms.
Even with some attempted persuasion, however, Tina stayed put through the entirety of the year. By the end of freshman year, Sophie realized that not only were her expectations not met by her experience, but it was "worse than [she] could've imagined!"
Erica and Anna
Erica and Anna were 2 girls from different states, but with very similar interests. With what appeared to be the same type of schedule preferences (staying up late, sleeping in), enjoying going out, being enrolled in the school of liberal arts, and watching the same shows on Netflix, they first got to talking on Facebook.
On the first day of school they officially met in person, and it was soon after that that Erica realized her image of Anna was not what she was expecting. The 2 ended up living alright together, but were by no means friendly. Anna would often leave on weekends to visit her boyfriend or head home, woke up early, and never made an attempt to bond.
Eventually, Erica gave up, realizing that "overall it was not a horrible living situation, but I preferred it when she was gone". On the last day of school, Anna left Erica a weird note saying goodbye rather than talking in person. The overall experience was not at all up to par with Erica's hopes going into her freshman year.
Lucy and MK
Lucy and MK were of the unlucky bunch of freshman to be living in Villanova's one and only all-girls dorm on campus - completely isolated from the rest of the freshman dormitories.
Because of this, and their complimenting positive energy's, these 2 girls immediately hit it off, and are now best friends. Going in, both went random, and ended up realizing how geographically close they were to each other. Before heading to Villanova, the two met up at a freshman send-off and right away hit it off!
Of course getting to school, both girls were still nervous, but once they realized that they lived perfectly with each other and got along super well, the friendship flourished. They are currently living together again their sophomore year, and as Lucy said "she is one of my favorite people in the entire world!"
Kate and Alex
Going into freshman year, both Kate and Alex decided to go for the random roommate assignment option. When the results came out, the 2 girls exchanged phone numbers with the hopes of getting to know each other better. After meeting on the first day of school, they seemed to be off to a slow start of friendship.
However, when it was soon realized that Alex's sleep preferences included having the blinds closed, lights off, and laying in bed almost constantly, the idea of friendship drifted away, as well as having a good roommate relationship. The girls never fought openly, however after multiple incidents of complication, they chose to live their own lives and pretty much ignore each other.
Kristen, Amanda, and Liv
Being put into a forced triple freshman year was not something that any of these girls looked forward to. Kristen and Amanda had contacted each other through text before heading to school, whereas Liv did not talk to anyone until the first day.
Kristen showed up to school with 2 cars filled with clothes, whereas both Liv and Amanda had a few shirts and pants. Kristen and Amanda bonded quickly, although the girls were polar opposites.
However, it turned out that Amanda actually had an Aunt who lived in Kristen's hometown!
After remaining optimistic through the whole experience, Kristen and Amanda became the base room for the creation of a new group of friends. Living in the forced triple, all though at times seemed a bit crowded, gave all of the girls two immediate friends instead of one! Although still polar opposites, Kristen and Amanda are currently are living together their sophomore year.
No matter how your roommate turns out, the biggest thing to remember is to not get caught up in it!
Do not let this person ruin your freshman year, they are definitely not worth it. If there's something you can do to try and fix the problem, definitely go for it! But worst case scenario, when all hope is lost, just remember - next year you probably won't even see this person never mind talk to them.
And at the end of it all, you'll at least get some crazy, weird, and funny stories out of the experience!
