Why I’m Glad I Had A Roommate My Freshman Year Of College

If anyone has ever met me, they will quickly learn that I am incredibly impatient and hate sharing. Yes, these are two horrible personality traits but they are very hard to overcome. So, going into my freshman year of college, I decided that I wanted to live in a single dorm room in order to prevent another person witnessing my bad side.

As I was on Facebook one day, a girl from my soon-to-be college messaged me. She asked if I had a roommate yet and I politely responded, “No, but I am going to have a single.” She tried to convince me otherwise, but I was too stubborn at the time to really care.

Fast forward a few weeks and I was asking for college advice from my cousin. She ended up suggesting I opt for a roommate my first year - a thought I ended up entertaining. Eventually, I messaged my future roommate back telling her that I did want to live with her after all.

Unsurprisingly, we had ups and downs. At first, more downs than ups because neither of us were used to sleeping five feet away from another person. However, by the end of the year, it was so much fun having a roommate! Even though we aren’t living together anymore, she's my neighbor and we're still close.

Beyond the fun nights, I learned more about myself than I would have ever imagined. For starters, I'm a hygiene freak. A disorganized room doesn't bother me, but leaving food in the trashcan for two weeks seriously grosses me out.

I also discovered that as much as I want to be, I am not the most important person in the universe. Plot twist: there are other people than me. I have to respect their space and be patient and kind to them. It wasn't easy, but I did manage to set my ego aside and pick my battles.

Most importantly, living with other people is not nearly as bad as I presumed. Before, I imagined sleeping in a different room from my future husband because I enjoy my personal space. Yet now, I realize that there are worse things in the world than sharing a space with someone. In fact, sharing a space with someone can be fun! As bad as it sounds, it’s nice having someone who is forced to listen to you since they are trapped in your space.