Moving to college presents an array of new challenges and incredible adjustments in all aspects of life. One of the most prominent is the anxiety that surrounds being placed with a roommate.
There are so many horror stories that circulate college campuses, that as a freshman you just pray that you are one of the lucky ones. Some of us have the privilege of being best friends with our roommates, which makes the college experience even more enjoyable.
These are the people who are down to get pizza with you anytime, will run out at midnight with you when you are out of ice cream, help you organize your life on a daily basis, be your shoulder to cry on, and most importantly be your family at school. Here are some things that we forget to thank our roommates for:
Being Down for Food At Any Time
One of the greatest ways to bond with people is over food, and you and your roommates may have bonded a little too much with the amount of food you have consumed together. Lets face it, our eating habits at school are not the most healthy, but we have our roommates to thank for encouraging that extra scoop of ice cream or that fifth slice of pizza. Who else will run to Taco Bell at 11 o’clock on a Tuesday with you just to get Baja Blast’s?
Being Your Mom When You’re Sick
Growing up whenever you were sick your mom probably stayed home to watch movies with you all day, make you toast, and make sure you were staying hydrated. At school, when you finally get that stomach virus that has been going around, without your roommates you would truly have to fend of yourself. Having them there to take care of you makes being sick at school that much more bearable.
Always Being There to Decide How to Respond to a Text
Living in the same space practically means that you know almost everything going on in each others lives. You know all of the he said she said drama, who’s with who, who’s not talking to who, etc. We have our roommates to thank for being there to decide how to go about the response to the text that you’ve been starring at for a good twenty minutes. In all reality a good portion of your important texts are filtered through your roommates before they are actually sent.
Telling You What You Need To Hear When You Need to Hear It
Your roommate has a front row seat watching you struggle getting out of bed for your 8:30 and complaining about every little thing that went wrong when you get back. College is exhausting, but sometimes all you need is for your roommate to tell you you’re being a little too overdramatic. It may seem harsh, but sometimes it’s what you need to hear. On the other hand, there are those days when all you need is to rant about all of the things that aren’t going your way. You can always count on your roommates to be your shoulder to cry on.
Knowing Not to Speak to You Before a Morning Practice
We have to give our roommates credit for knowing and respecting our habits. Personally being the farthest thing from a morning person, I have to thank my roommates for dealing with my miserable self walking to practice at 5:30 every morning. Not only dealing with it, but knowing that talking to me and being overly cheery will only make it worse.
Being Completely Okay With Going Out or Staying In
If you wanna go out to that party on a Friday night you can always count on your roommate to make the treacherous walk across campus with you. On the other hand, if you are looking for someone to stay in and watch Netflix, you’ll find them on the couch right beside you. You get the best of both worlds, but regardless of what you end up doing, you have fun doing it.
Helping You Organize Your Life
Whether you failed a Bio test and think your life is over or you’re just really missing home, your roommates are there to talk it out and make a plan. This may involve a discussion that can last until 2am, but hey your sleep deprived selves will have your life as together as they can get.
Helping You Pick Out Outfits on A Daily Basis
Around your room or apartment chances are you live in your sweats and could actually be mistaken for a homeless person if you went out in public. Picking out an outfit is one of the biggest problems that going out presents. You definitely owe a big thank you to your roommates for finding the perfect necklace or sweater to go with an outfit.
Being My Family
You have went from strangers to best friends to family in maybe less than a year. Being away from home makes you truly value your family, but when you’re away for long periods of time your roommates have no problem filling that gap. At school they’re your biggest support system and the best friends you could’ve ever asked for. Without them you wouldn’t really be able to call school your “home away from home.”
Your college roommates are some of the most valuable friendships that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. College presents a lot of obstacles, but having great roommates to stand by you makes it so much better. Don’t forget to stop every once in a while and thank them for being them!
