On Roommates

I could probably fill pages upon pages of things that I was terrified about before coming to college. One of the things that ranked pretty near the top of the list was: Roommates. I come from a small family of four, my family consisting of my parents and my younger sister. So I always had a room to myself and didn't really have to share much. Living in a dorm my freshman year, I knew I would have to share a room, closets, desks, etc with one or two other people. But that wasn't really the problem. I didn't mind sharing space with others. The thing I was worried about was whether or not I would get along with my roommates or whether my room would become a sanctuary or hell. Aspiring to go to medical school, I coveted silence and a studious atmosphere. So naturally, I was quite worried. I wanted my room, although shared, to be a place where I could study and get work done. Others at Cal warned me that this would not happen- that the library would become my best friend as a premed.

So move-in day came along and I was able to finally meet my roommates (I live in a triple). Turns out, I couldn't have asked for better ones. Although, keep in mind, they weren't the ideal roommates I was hoping for (I was hoping for premeds such as myself so that I wouldn't have to worry about studying). My roommates are loud, incredibly funny, fun-loving people. But they're also extremely considerate, caring, and selfless. The three of us eat together, play together, and study together, and that's what makes my time at cal more bearable. When I feel like going to sleep early, my roommates never hesitate to turn the lights off, even when they have work to do. When I want to go out to get something to eat, one of my roommates is always willing to go with me. And when I'm bored or restless, one of them is always on call to hang. Mind you, this doesn't happen 24/7, but it happens often enough that it makes me feel like the three of us are a family, a unit, that was always meant to be.

My roommates are not big party-ers, drinkers, or smokers, but occasionally, they'll go out and do God knows what. And when they do, I get to enjoy a few peaceful hours to myself. And believe me, when you get to college, those hours are like paradise.

But I'm one of the lucky ones. I know a few people who don't interact with their roommates and therefore, have no bonds with them. If that happens, the atmosphere in their room is likely to get very awkward, and frankly, be no fun at all. And then there are those who's roommates are uncontrollable. This, too, can lead to a very awkward atmosphere, but probably more fun than having no interactions with your roommates. ; )

In all, most of you will have roommates that you get along with so don't fret too much. Your roommates will become your best friends at college (if your best friend/s haven't come with you to the college) because you're around each other all the time. It can't be helped (in most cases) : ) So make the most out of it!

One word of advice for incoming freshman: When you find out who your roommates are, try to arrange who gets what and where before you move in- makes moving in a whole lot easier and faster. Also, you won't have to arrive as early and in such a hurry on move-in day.

-K

P.S If you have any questions or would like me to write about something in particular, please feel free to ask!