Roomie:

We are the Class of 2020. We're staying for our masters so I can become a nurse practitioner and you can become a special education elementary school teacher (right?). I always get yours wrong, will I ever learn for real? We have five years ahead of us and it all started right here, Muse Hall 418A. You know, the resident hall on campus that doesn't have air conditioning and is thirteen stories high? Trust me, everybody knows about it because it's so dang hot this time of year. Anyways, let's not focus on the fact that we don't have air conditioning, but more on the actual college experience. Everybody always says that college years are going to be the best years of your life, now is our time to see if they're right or not. We're opening new doors in our lives and beginning a whole new chapter in our lives.

Move-in day was fun, I guess. It took us seven hours to get completely moved in and comfortable in our new home. Your mom taught me how to use 3M Command Strips and I helped you get your stuff organized and clean. They always said that teamwork makes the dream work, right? Our floors were disgusting so let's not forget me turning into a crazy germ freak and vacuuming and using the Swiffer every day, twice a day for the first three days trying to get the dirt up. We're on day four now and it still feels dirty.

We're both first generation college students. We don't know what to expect, but we're learning together. This is all new to us, we're totally not in high school anymore. We're having to travel across campus for all our classes and sometimes, we only have ten minutes to do so. Like for example, my 8:00 AM class on Monday and Wednesday that just so happens to be on the complete opposite side of campus. Yeah, that's a fun hike to have to take shortly after you wake up. Meanwhile, you get to sleep in because your first class isn't until 11:00 AM on Mondays,that must be nice. Let's not forget, me packing your backpack for you the night before our first day so you knew you had everything you needed. We know who the organized one in the dorm is, and it sure isn't you.

We're going to become really close this year whether you like it or not. We're living together in a room that is approximately 25x11 feet long. It's tight quarters around here anyway, and we have to squeeze two people into this tiny room. Did I mention that I've never shared a room with somebody long term? This should be interesting. There's a first time for everything right? We'll get through it because, well, we don't really have a choice in the making. It's either we're in a res hall, or we're not going to school here right now. Let's be honest, I'm the cleaner and organizer here while you're the fun one. I'm not really a person who has a lot of friends or can just easily make them like you can. We're like polar opposites, but that just makes us more perfect roommates. Our differences will draw us together and shine through to express our personalities.

We have to make the best out of everything. Yes, we're going to argue over stupid stuff – yes, we're going to bicker about little stuff. We're going to get tired of each other – it's going to happen. We have to figure out what to do to resolve that and go with it. Give each other space and maybe not talk for a little bit. Trust me, it works. We're not glued together at the hip, we don't have to do everything together. We have to live our own college experience, make our own friends. We're living two separate lives, we just so happen to be living them under the same roof. Thank you in advance to all the tears and rants I'm going to throw your way and expect you to be able to handle. We're going to become each other's free counselor – I'll listen to you and you listen to me, no matter how annoying it may be. I'm always going to be here for you, and I hope to receive nothing but the same from you. There's no avoiding each other while we're here. We have to be mature and handle everything like adults.

Thanks for offering to live with me for a year and having to put up with me. You're like the younger sister I always kind of wanted to have, but never did. We're going to have a great time in college whether we're together through it all or not, and remember, I'm always going to be here for you no matter what because, well you are my roommate and you come back to the dorm every night. I'll always be here to let you in when you forget your key or be your lunch or dinner date while all your actual friends are in class. I'm your go-to girl! Thanks for helping make my college experience as amazing as I know it will be.