One of the most exciting (or nerve-wracking) experiences you can have at college is getting your freshman year roommate. Part of it is scary, because it’s a stranger that is going to be with you when you move in, go to bed, sleep, wake up. They might (and probably will) walk in on you as you lie on your bed with your computer screen two inches from your face and your cheeks stuffed with Oreos. But have no fear, because there really are some amazing memories you can make only with a roommate.
As someone who is a very shy introvert, the prospect of going to college and making all new friends terrified me to the point where I genuinely did not think I would be able to do it. An important thing to remember about roommates is that they don’t have to be your best friend, but they can definitely be your first friend. Since orientation is jam-packed with events and icebreakers, it can be difficult to figure out when and where to jump in. If you’re attending a school where you don’t know anyone, it can be a tough time trying to adjust. Roommates are an amazing way to break out of the oh-my-God-how-do-I-meet-anyone-that-I-have-anything-in-common-with barrier, because then you can go to various events together and meet different people. It’s not difficult to realize that social events are 10 times easier when you have someone by your side, because they give you confidence. Remember to utilize that, because chances are, your roommate wants someone by their side too!
The usefulness and amazingness of roommates does not stop after the first week, though. Since school can be tough, especially in your first year at college, there are unavoidably going to be days where you can’t help but curl up in the corner of your bed crying. But one of the best aspects of roommates is that they are like immediate therapists for any of your problems. If they aren’t walking in on you with your cheeks stuffed with Oreos, they could be walking in on you crying into your teddy bear from home and wiping your nose on your sheets. I can’t count how many times I cried in front of my roommate, and how helpful she was working me through my problems. While there might be times when you think you just want to be alone, it does not hurt to have someone there to help you talk through whatever is going on.
It’s the convenience of proximity. There are times where I’d be upset and I didn’t even know I wanted to talk about it, but when my roommate came in it would all just come out. And the convenience doesn’t just pertain to therapy, but with fashion, romance, or advice on papers too. Having another human living in your room means that there is another brain that you can always pick. If you need a shirt and realize you don’t own anything that would look remotely cute, the easiest person to ask is your roommate. After the first month of college I had my first paper due, but me being me, I procrastinated until the night before. What happened at the end of that night? My roommate was babysitting me in the library, carefully making sure that I wasn’t checking my phone or having another panic attack, and I managed to achieve the impossible: finish the paper on time.
Having been through college both with a roommate and without, I can tell you that papers are not always so easily finished. The moment I procrastinated so much that I needed an extension and a hug comes to mind.
