There's the dreaded meeting on move-in day and the awkwardness that is the first night sleeping your dorm just a few feet away from a stranger. It's hard to imagine this ever feeling "normal" and the change might not happen all at once, but after just a few weeks, you might find that you and your roomie are closer than ever and this whole roommate thing isn't so bad.
1. You start sharing clothing.
It only takes about two weeks into the semester before getting ready becomes a chore. You wore all your best outfits already and the rest of your clothes. Getting to the point where you can grab a top from your roomie and having her only reaction be how great you look is one of many perks of being so close.
2. You can sit in complete silence without the awkwardness of move-in day.
Everyone dreaded having that first encounter with their roommates, the person they would be living in tight quarters with for the next few months. It seemed like the conversation never stopped the first couple days because sitting in silence was scary. Now you can spend hours on end without a word comfortably.
3. Grabbing lunch together at least once a week so that you don’t miss anything going on with them.
You stay up to date on their upcoming exams, on stories about that guy they hate in their English class, and the drama going on with their friends from home. As if this is even necessary when you spend every waking minute together.
4. Buying food together.
Everything is “ours”. You go food shopping together and pretend you know what you’re doing. Buying quinoa, kale and anything else that sounds healthy because you told each other this week you’d be healthy but you both know you’ll end up using your student discount to order a pizza instead.
5. You make sure to get a roomie pic whenever you go out.
This is because you HAVE to document all your time together. If someone were to scroll through your Instagram feed they would probably wonder if you have any other friends. You don’t care thought because you guys know how to take the most post-worthy pictures together and in reality, you spent most of your time together anyway.
6. Not judging one another.
When one of you has a major breakdown because of a project due Monday and a midterm on Friday, your there to talk them through the stress and remind them it’s just not possible to go out on every Thirsty Thursday.
7. Learning the names of all their besties from home.
When you finally meet them, you don't want to confuse them all. It's like gaining 5 new friends because hear stories about these girls and feel as though you already know their life stories. The anticipation of meeting the girls willing to share their bestie becomes slightly less when you've already matched names to faces.
8. Seeing each other after a weekend away.
One of you goes home for the weekend and you greet each other by dramatically running into each other’s arms. After sharing the same 12 by 19-foot space 24/7, being apart for 48 hours feels like years. It makes it that much easier to give up your private bathroom and home-cooked meals when you know that's who you're coming back to.
9. Cheering each other on.
Spending nights in your room when the work piles up, keeping each other focused and occasionally letting the other wallow in it. It might not be as fun as pregaming on Friday night while blasting summer hits of the 2000s, but living with your best friend means having the best of both worlds.
Everyone’s heard their fair share of roommate horror stories, but for those lucky enough to have made the switch from just roommates to best friends know it’s an experience no one should take for granted.
