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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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