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Random roommate revelations

Flash back to freshman year move-in day; strangers are carrying your belongings, and it’s almost time to say goodbye to mom and dad. You open the door to meet the person you have been texting for the past week, hoping this could be the start of a friendship, not a year of hiding your possessions and sleeping with one eye open.

Fast-forward and you’ve made it through a year. It could’ve been better, it could’ve been worse, but ultimately you survived the test of time, the “random roommate.”

Random roommates are always tricky. The questionnaire provided by Residential Life covers the bare basics of the information you want to have on the person you’re going to be sharing a 15’-by-15’ living space with for a year.

You could walk through that door and meet your best college friend.

But, what could happen if you don’t become BFF’s? Here are a few scenarios.

 

The “nocturnal” roommate

They sleep all day and are up all night. Let’s just hope they have headphones for video games and movies at 3 a.m., because if not, you might need to invest in some to ensure your sleep schedule keeps up with the sun and the moon.

 

The “unaware I don’t live alone” roommate

This includes everyone from that guy who leaves their stuff all over the place to that girl who lets the door slam when you’re sleeping. Someone like this – who has been living on their own at home for too long – gets hit with reality very quickly when quiet hours and roommate contracts are brought up.

 

The “passive” roommate

They don’t tell you when you’ve done something wrong, and the little things start to pile up. Instead of letting you know face to face, you find out you’ve been doing something wrong when discover someone hid a bleach pod in your laundry hamper all because you haven’t been hanging up your towel … what a shame.

 

The “just there” roommate

Lastly, and the most likely thing that’ll happen if you don’t become BFFs, is that you’ll carry on as roommates and just co-exist. My freshman year roommate and I didn’t click at all. We didn’t have much in common, and she never really came out of her shell. I had no problem with the fact she was shy and reserved, I just knew I would have to make other friends.

Other than sleeping in the same room and an occasional conversation, there really wasn’t any depth to our relationship, and that was OK. Still being able to make the friends I made while remaining comfortable in my own living space is what made my freshman year work.

With the year wrapping up, it’s almost time to say goodbye to the person that was once, and still may be a stranger.

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