Going into my freshman year of college, I had no idea what to expect when living with a roommate I had never met before. There were definitely some struggles, but there were some positives as well. There were also a handful of life lessons that I really needed to learn, with the biggest being that you need to be a roommate that everyone can count on. With so many different situations you encounter when living with someone else, you need to be able to understand how to handle them all, and with this list, you can be the one they know they can always count on.
1. Be a shoulder to cry on when one of your roommates is going through a tough time
Sometimes just being there is all they need, even if you don't say anything.
2. Wash all of the dishes, even if they’re not your own
Nothing is better than coming home to a clean house and clean dishes, so why not take the extra five minutes and give your roommates a little extra love?
3. Have chocolate, pizza, and wine in hand at the end of a bad day
Because when you combine these three, it's impossible for anything else to go wrong.
4. Play the “mom friend” role and always check in to make sure they got home safely
It may seem annoying sometimes, but it'll all count in the moment when they need you to help them home.
5. Have a playlist for every mood and every event
Whether it be Coldplay, Jesse McCartney, or Post Malone, you've got it all.
6. When they want to have a dance party in their underwear, have the dance party in your underwear
Put on your cutest underwear, turn up the jams, and dance out all of your problems just like Dr. Callie Torres from Grey's Anatomy.
7. When they need someone to talk to, be there for them no matter how much you have going on
Even if you should be studying, or you'd rather be sleeping, listening to them and being there for them to make sure they're okay trumps all.
8. Always ask if they want anything when you go on a much needed Dunkin run
If you go to Dunkin and don't get your roommate anything, did you really even go to Dunkin?
9. Have open arms and an open heart for whenever they need a hug
Sometimes all you need is a hug to make all your worries go away, even if only for a minute or two.
10. Don’t let them talk to boys you know are just going to break their heart
And if by some chance you let some bad boy slip past, have a plan ready to beat him up the moment he breaks her heart.
11. Plan a grocery shopping trip where everyone can go, and always be open to a TJ Maxx or Target stop on the way home
Groceries are an obvious necessity, but so is everything on the Maxx rack or in the Target dollar section, because if you're going to spend money, you might as well buy something cute with it.
12. When no one else will do it, kill the spider so you all can go to bed
Even me, who has a highly irrational fear of spiders, is telling you to just man up and do it because we're all tired and we all really just want to go to sleep.
13. Find out what their favorite things are, and surprise them with it when they need it the most
Sometimes a friendly post-it note or a bag of pirate booty during midterm and finals week make the stress go away, though it may only be for a second.
14. Always make sure that the air is on before you all go to bed
No one wants to wake up in the middle of the night sweating, so do everyone a favor and check the thermostat every night before you grab a little shut-eye.
15. Love them unconditionally, even when it’s not easy
No one is going to be with you more than your roommates, so know that even though sometimes you may not want to love them, do it anyway because they're the ones that are going to constantly be there and have your back 24/7.
Without my roommates, I definitely wouldn’t be surviving (and thriving) through my sophomore year, and I know it’s because of the fact that I can always count on them for anything. So to every college student out there, be thankful for the roommate you know you can always count on, but make sure they can always count on you too.
