What should I expect from my roommate?

The Roommate

Ahh yes, the very word can send thrills up our spine and bring up recollections of past or potential future possibilities. This is by far the number one FEAR for freshman… will I like him? Is he an assassin working for the government? Is he a criminal?

The truth of course, is that it is never as bad as it first seems. However, the first meeting can be quite awkward, and things could happen for the worst if you fail to prepare properly.

The first step to knocking out this habitual fear of a roommate is to talk to him or her BEFORE you meet them. Call them, see who is bringing the microwave, who’s getting the boos Yeah, I’ve been in college), or who’s going to be the one shopping for food.

It may be possible that you’re a health nut, and your buddy is a ramen eating terrorist, in which case it may be good for both of you to get and use your own supplies. You can still share appliances, but as far as food consumption and shopping goes, enact the “get it yourself” policy.

This is not mean, and should never be frowned upon. It can even be brought up in a nice, concerning manner, such as “hey, since we like different things, let’s just make it easy on ourselves, I’ll get my food, and you can do likewise, this way we both get what we want!”

Once things such as these are sorted out, BEFORE you meet, then the weight will be lifted. No longer is it going to be extremely awkward to meet them, or will the possibilities of catastrophic events unfolding throughout the school year psyche you out, it’s all already taken care of!

In all seriousness it will be fine, it’s not like you’re out in the wilderness with this person for the end of time, it’s only for this semester and there are plenty of administrative officials to help you in worst case scenarios.

Relax, and remember that these coming years quite possibly could be the best time of your life, don’t dread the simple things like roommates, if nothing else… a ramen eating terrorist would be one hell of a story! I’m interested already!