I know the chances for many people to room with their cousin’s freshman year of college are slim, but it can still happen. You have to be the same age, choose the same school and like each other enough. If you are lucky enough to get all three of those things right, you won't regret it. There are so many reasons that rooming with your cousin can be amazing and here are just my top six.
1. There is no uncomfortable beginning
Whether you go random or room with a friend, there is still going to be an uncomfortable stage right there in the beginning of the year. You learn that you are going to be spending almost every waking moment with that person and for a lot of people that can be too much to handle. If you room with your cousin, you are pretty much used to it. Sure, there is some adjustment to make but for me, I have spent so much time with my cousin growing up that it was no big deal at all. You don't have to try and tip toe around them, everything always feels natural and you can always be yourself with them.
2. There is so much care
When you go to college and make friends, it can be kind of scary. Let me explain, if you go to a party your new "friends" may ditch you or leave for a guy and not care as much because you guys have just met. If you are going out to a party with your family, there will be this whole different level of care. Someone is always going to be there for you and has a deep connection and actual love for you. Plus, their parents would kill you if you ever let anything happen to them.
3. You can never get away (in a good way)
When you go home for breaks, you still get to see them. The holidays are now so much more exciting because you have way more inside jokes and fun together than you ever had before. You also get to tell your wild college stories together to your whole family.
4. Having visitors
When people would come to stay, it was never an awkward thing. Most of the time, it would be family that visited so there was no weird feeling of a stranger staying in your room. Also, if your roommate's parents came to visit, you weren't left out. They always took you along with them to dinner and it would feel great to see family. When friends would come and visit, it also wouldn't be weird because your cousin most likely knew all your friends from home by that point.
5. You come as a package deal
When making friends throughout your previous school years, you always had to go it alone. Since we were cousins rooming together, we stuck together. We had all of the same friends and it made the group feel super close with each other because she and I were already so close.
6. A piece of home
Moving away from your family can be terrifying, especially if you are going to live with a stranger. If you are living with your cousin, it is like having a little piece of home with you while you're away. I never actually felt homesick and I think having my roommate be my cousin was a major factor. We always FaceTimed our families together and when care packages would come, they were sent to the both of us.
All in all, rooming with your cousin is an amazing experience. I went into the year thinking she and I were already close, but I had no idea what was ahead. We have so many inside jokes and unforgettable memories together. Now that it is over, we call each other almost every day and just talk because it is such a habit. My freshman year experience wouldn't have been the same without her.
