My first year of college I shared a room with someone for the first time in my life. Having a roommate was a very different experience for me. It wasn't bad but there were times where I missed having my own space. This year I decided to live in a single, but like living with a roommate, single life has its ups and downs.
Pro: You can sleep whenever you want
When you live with a roommate you have to respect their schedule. This means that if they need to study at 2 p.m. you can't turn the lights out and take a nap. They also may wake you up if they come back to the room late at night after you've gone to bed.
Con: You sleep too much
Because you don't have to worry about disrespecting a roommate by monopolizing time in the room, you may take more naps. Having a roommate makes you feel more obligated to leave the room from time to time and visit the gym or the library.
Pro: You can have friends over whenever you want to
Not having a roommate means you can invite whoever you want over whenever you want. You don't have to worry about your roommate being disrupted or not getting along with your friends when you have the room to yourself.
Con: It can get lonely
A roommate is a friend who lives with you. When you have a roommate there is always someone to talk to after a long hard day. Living alone can be lonely sometimes.
Pro: You don't need to use headphones
Your roommate doesn't always want to listen to your music or watch Netflix with you so you have to keep headphones on. This is a minor annoyance but it definitely feels good to play my music out loud while I get ready every morning.
Con: Dance parties alone aren't as much fun
When you live with someone you are bound to have random dance parties. Dancing around the room alone is more pathetic than fun.
Pro: You control the light switch
This may seem like a minor thing but it is HUGE! When you come back to the room at 3 a.m. the last thing you want to do is get ready for bed in the dark. When you live alone you never have to worry about waking up your roommate with the lights.
Con: You have to get out of bed to turn the lights out
When you have a roommate there is an unspoken rule that whoever takes the longest getting ready for bed also has to turn out the lights. This means that you don't have to get out of bed to turn the lights out most of the time.
Going back to living alone after getting used to sharing a room has been an adjustment. I like having my own space but having a roommate has some benefits too.
