Dorming: Roommate Experiences

Moving away from home your first time as a college freshman is a scary thing to do. Along with leaving home, for many, you are going to be sharing a quite small room with another person or people that you may not know. Despite being an overwhelming experience, it is also beneficial in gaining self-dependence and making new friends. At the start of the semester in my experience, communication was key between my roommates and I. Prior to move in day, we got to know each other a bit and discussed any concerns that we may have had. Being with guests coming over, cleaning and hours we preferred for study time. We did not have any issues, so it was not a complicated thing to figure out, only things needed for the dorm. Myself and my two other roommates were sure to figure out what we needed for our dorm and how we were split the costs. This consisted of a printer, a fridge and cleaning supplies. One of my roommates already had a fridge she was going to bring, and the printer was the only thing we needed. We split the cost among the three of us equally while one ordered the printer and brought it on move in day. Settling into the dorm was a bit hard to get used to since I was not used to being away from home or sharing a space with people I did not know. In the beginning, conversations between my roommates and I were short, and we did not talk as much. It was short interactions such as “Hey” or “I’ll see you later”, but with time we talked more and became comfortable with each other. I am quite shy and introverted, one of my roommates is the same and the other is more talkative. This was the only aspect about us becoming friends that was difficult because it is what makes different. The only difficult thing was being in a triple that is meant for a double. When I could, I would try to be out of the room to give each of my roommates their space. It is understandable that being crammed into a small room can become overwhelming and stressful. Prior to moving in, I was genuinely a bit scared and skeptical because I have heard about “roommate horror experiences”. But, my roommates are great, they respect my things, we have nice conversations and hang out then and there. Personally, I have never had any type conflict with my roommates whatsoever that I have heard people having. I believe that this has a lot to do with my schools’ system in pairing students to be roommates. During the summer, students who will be dorming on campus are asked to fill out a form with specifics to what type of dorm you like to have, your interests, the study times you prefer, bed time etc. This is not only to find a dorm that would suit you best but to also pair you with students who have similar interests. Now into my second semester of dorming with my roommates, it has been a good experience as I have made new friends and am more dependent on myself. Becoming friends is definitely a plus because It will make the dorming experience run smoothly.