Best and Worst of Cohabitation

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advice, best, college, dorm, living, roommates, suite, worst

Four of my beautiful, amazing suitemates this semester (and the missing one is, of course, beautiful and amazing as well).

College is a time for many firsts. For almost everyone out there it is the first time living in the same room as someone else. As you can probably guess, there are many highs and lows of having a roommate. Last year I lived in a double with one other person, sharing a bathroom with the entire floor. This year I live in a double within a six person suite containing a bathroom and kitchen. Let me tell you, I have become an expert in this department in the past year and two months.

Worsts

Little to no privacy

It is really hard to get a moment alone when you share a bedroom, desk space and bathroom with multiple people. And while it’s nice to have company, there can be times when you realize what you really need is a moment alone. My usual remedy for this is taking a walk or running errands by myself. More importantly, you have to get used to changing and eating habits and things of that nature. But that will become no problem in time.

Sharing

Maybe I’m still in the mindset of a five year old, but sharing sometimes just makes me mad. I, personally, have all of my possessions a specific way and I would be really frustrated if someone messed with it, or took the liberty of using my things or wearing my clothes without asking. Luckily for me, my current roommate has known me since the ripe age of four so she knows these things and is polite enough (or perhaps afraid) to mess with the order of it all. The good news is we still share within reason but understand there is a boundary. Boundaries are important.

Communication

Living with someone means you have to communicate constantly about how you’re feeling. What makes this thing a “worst” is that sometimes you have to talk about uncomfortable things or bring up something that might make your roommate mad. More than that, it can be extremely hard to communicate if you’re not that comfortable with the person you’re living with. Communication is something that right off the bat has to be an open system.

Bests

Company

Having a roommate means no matter what, you will always have company. Whether you had a really bad day or want to share exciting news, there is going to be someone there to either console you or embarrassingly prance around the room with joy. It means you never have to watch Lion King alone or submit your blog post without them proofreading it (thanks Alyssa). They see you at your worst, and compliment you at your best.

If you don’t have it, they will

Whatever you are lacking, your roommate can probably make up for it. If you need something savory to cleanse your palette, they probably have pretzels they’ll let you eat. If you have a really terrible headache and aspirin isn’t working, they probably have extra strength Motrin waiting for you. One of the best things about having a roommate is having access (if they are willing to grant it) to anything you might need.

Pillow talk

I’m not even kidding. I have decided my favorite part about having a roommate is talking about the day as we fall asleep (if we happen to be going to bed at the same time). I have probably (definitely) said the worst, best, most embarrassing and funniest things while falling asleep across the room from my roommate. By far the best thing about having a roommate is being able to say anything and have it met with little to no judgement.

The main point I want you to take away from this all is when it’s bad, it’s awful, but when it’s good, it’s great. But living with someone is something everyone should have to experience. And if you haven’t had this experience, you will soon realize how bad the bad parts can be, but how amazing the good parts can be.

-Zoe

My roommate and I literally having the time of our lives on photobooth