Categories: College Life

Pros and Cons of Rooming with a High School Friend

So, you got accepted to college! Hurray! After celebrating, now it is time to get down to business: finding a roommate. He or she will be one of the first you meet upon arriving, and your first friend (hopefully). That is, of course, unless you choose to room with someone you already know. I was lucky enough to room with one of my good friends from high school, Courtney. So, I thought I would share what it is really like rooming with a friend from high school.

PRO: You already know each other

One of the greatest things about already knowing your roommate is that you get to skip the getting to know each other phase. I met Courtney when she moved to my school in 8th grade, so we have had a good five years to learn about each other. However, living together allows us to continue learning new things every day!

instagram.com/chiara_lezzidemasi

Con: Making new friends can be harder

One of the major drawbacks to having a high school friend as a roommate is that it can put a damper on trying to make new friends. Sure, if you are an outgoing person, this won’t be a problem. But if you are like me, introverted and socially awkward, this isn’t such a good thing. With a friend as your roomie, you become too comfortable with your environment and don’t feel as much of a need to immerse yourself into that great sea of people outside your dorm room. We commonly find ourselves sitting in our room doing our own thing.

Pro: Sharing

This is one the best things about being friends with your roommate. However, just because they may be your best friend, you still need to ask each other for permission to borrow, even if they say “feel free to use it whenever you want.” If they aren’t there, be considerate and shoot them a text, double checking if it’s okay to use whatever it is you want to borrow. This applies to things you may use regularly – I still ask Courtney to borrow her Bluetooth speaker. This applies to separate food stashes, too.

fyeahbigbangtheorygifs.

Pro: Carpooling

Having a roommate who is from the same hometown as you can be incredibly beneficial, especially if your campus is far from home. Being able to carpool during school breaks can make things easier for you and/or your parents!

favim.com

Con: Feelings of obligation

While I can’t say that I feel this way when it comes to Courtney; one of the downsides of rooming with a friend is an obligation to make sure their roommate is included in whatever they do. People might feel like they are betraying their roommate if they hang out with someone else or participate in an activity without inviting them.

See Also

Con: Disagreements may be harder to handle

There are certain things that I know I can talk about with Courtney, and things that we mutually agree not to mention. If something is brought up that the other one of us disagrees with, we have to remember to be respectful. It can be easier to start an argument with your friend because you already feel so comfortable around them – you’re not afraid to voice your opinion. But remember, a big fight probably isn’t worth it. No one wants lingering awkward tension just because you had one disagreement.

instagram.com/margotvangeffen

Pro: You get to be yourself

One of the greatest things about rooming with Courtney is that I don’t have to hide who I am. There is no tip toeing around, no uncertainty and no judgement – we already know how crazy the other can be, and this is why we love each other. For instance, if you suddenly heard a loud boisterous laugh in the quiet room, you might think she was crazy. Well that was Courtney being Courtney. She finds many things humorous, but her laugh is contagious! As for myself, I can yell at my TV while playing video games, or hang posters on the wall that involve said video games and she wouldn’t bat an eye.

Top image source: sbc.edu and axgig.com
Rachel Pisula

Suffering from social awkwardness, Rachel loves to read, play video games, and binge watch Netflix. While studying photojournalism, she tries her best to make somebody's day just a little brighter.

Recent Posts

The 10 Stages Of Being Invited To And Attending A Sex Toy Party

For those that aren't familiar with what a sex party is, you need to get caught up! A sex toy party,…

3 hours ago

How To Create The Natural Makeup Look In 10 Minutes

Chances are, you've seen the natural makeup look trending on plenty of celebs' faces this year so far. It's the simple,…

7 hours ago

10 Makeup Products Every College Freshman Needs

We all know that waking up early to do our makeup just to go to class isn't really a thing.…

12 hours ago

15 Things You Already Miss About UMN

Whether you just finished freshmen year and are moving home for the summer or just graduated and are ready to face…

12 hours ago

20 Must Have Rompers For Your Summer Wardrobe

With summer finally here, we're all anxious to bring out the tank tops, shorts, sandals, and obviously, rompers! No matter…

17 hours ago

20 Signs You Might Have Senioritis

It’s that time of the year again when we all say, “I give up” or “I’m over it.” I mean,…

21 hours ago