Moving away to college is a terrifying thing, but it can be even scarier when you are agreeing to move into a tiny room with one or two complete strangers. The system of random roommates was probably designed for people like me who are simultaneously too anxious and lazy to find a roommate on their own. Since college decisions are due soon, I thought I could help ease some minds of incoming freshmen that still have yet to find a roommate and are slowly coming to terms with the fact that they might have to just go random.

Now, I know you have all heard those terrible horror stories of freshmen that get paired with the worst possible person on the entire earth, but I promise not all random roommate stories are like that. While giving full faith to your university to pair you up with a complete stranger to live within a small dorm room for your first venture into adulthood can be slightly terrifying, it can also turn out to be an unforgettable experience.

At the university I attend, there are 10 freshman housing options, including apartments and dorms, and of those 10, there are only four that you really want to live in. When I was applying for housing, all I knew was that I wanted to be in a double, other than that, I didn’t care where I ended up or who I ended up with. Looking back, I probably could have done a little more research on where I wanted to be living, but I made it through so no harm, no foul.

Now, this isn’t a story about how I moved into my room and my random roommate and I instantly clicked and became best friends forever. My freshman roommate was great, but we don’t talk too much anymore, and that’s totally OK! Since I had a random roommate, I was forced to go out of my comfort zone and meet new people and make new friends. I ended up befriending most of the people that lived on my floor. It pushed me to be more social and more open to getting to know the people that were living around me. My freshman year was an experience that led me to some of my best friends now.

Here’s my advice for letting your university take full control of your housing situation. First, fill out the questionnaire that they give you honestly. If you say that you don’t mind having a roommate that likes to party and go out all the time, then it won’t be a big deal. But if you don’t want your roommate stumbling into your room drunk at three in the morning, then definitely make sure you make that clear.

Second, don’t make your expectations too high. If you go in thinking that you and your roommate are going to be best friends and you’re going to just click, you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. That doesn’t mean that just because you aren’t best friends means that you have to hate each other. You can get along, but not be friends because you just happen to be two very different people.

Third, be open to anything. You never know what might happen with your new roommate. Maybe you’ll become absolute best friends, or maybe it’ll just be a year of living with a stranger, but you never know until you try.

My final piece of advice is don’t stress about it more than you need to. If you are really having a tough time finding a roommate, then going random isn’t that bad. Even if you move in and you find out that you absolutely hate your roommate and you can’t stand living with them in a box for nine months, then there are always options to move or switch roommates. Worst case scenario, you have to switch rooms, but I promise it is not that big of a deal. Freshman year is full of so many fun and exciting things that you probably won’t even be in your room that much anyways!