R is for Roommates

When heading off to college, probably one of the biggest concerns is whether or not your roommate is going to be crazy or a normal human being! Random assignment is a gamble— you might end up with someone with the potential to become your new bff, or someone you can simply tolerate. On the other hand, some incoming freshman choose to room with someone they already know, assuming it’s a safe bet.

In my case, I was fortunate to room with my best friend. We grew up together in the same town and had been classmates since first grade. When we both learned senior year that we were accepted into the University we were ecstatic. How great would this be?

Hanging out together all the time, partying together— we were looking forward to an awesome freshman year. By the time we were sending in our housing forms, however, we had received plenty of warnings about the pitfalls of rooming with a good friend. Well-meaning pals told horror stories of rooming with a close friend with whom they were no longer on speaking terms by the end of the first semester.

After talking over the pros and cons, we decided to stick to our original plan. And, true to expectations, the first couple of weeks were a lot of fun.

In fact, it kind of felt like we were at camp because we had sleepovers every night, staying up late just talking on our bunk beds.

While the novelty of this did wear off after the first month, I’m happy to say that our friendship endured. Sure, we sometimes got on each other’s nerves—living together in such close quarters would put a strain on any relationship.

But we made a conscious effort not to become completely dependent on one another. Having different majors, classes, and jobs meant we each met new people and explored our separate interests.

Yet, at the end of the day, it was nice to come back to my dorm room— a place that now truly felt like my home away from home.

I started freshman year with a best friend and finished with … a best friend.

Lindsay Prossnitz is a sophomore in Media.