Friend or stranger, a blessing and a curse at the same time — such are roommates.
The college experience can teach young adults to live in the most perilous of conditions, shoulder-to-shoulder in this complex partnership. A freshman will often enter the University unsure what to expect of his or her future roommate.
The freshman year can prove to be the biggest transition in the lives of some, as they struggle with newfound freedoms and responsibilities. Couple that with the fact that they will be residing in a 10-by-11 cubicle with someone else just as bewildered, and you have the grounds for almost anything and everything.
Freshman Sarah Carver, a resident in the Hamilton Complex, opted to be paired with a stranger, and making it through her experience was, at times, perplexing.
“When they stuck two talkative, stubborn children together, what did they expect?” Carver said.
She and her roommate, Erin Harris, are quick to hug and reconcile, she said, making it clear that the bond they’ve made this year will last beyond the residence halls.
While there will always be odd pairings within the residence halls, the close proximity can allow two strangers to become very familiar, very quickly. This environment could make or break the roommate relationship, but it’s encouraging to know that the vast majority of University dorm residents begin to adapt, learn and compromise with their roommates, Carver said.
As a resource, the Counseling Center provides peer mediation services and one-on-one counseling for anyone who may need some extra assistance. Their open-door policy allows for students with any type of roommate-related questions or issues to feel comfortable addressing them. They can assist students regardless of whether they reside in residence halls or off-campus housing.
Some students opt to personally select their roommates. They may sign up a close friend or even an acquaintance from high school, even though it can be a little trying for new students to cohabitate with someone they’ve known since childhood, as they are often struggling to leave that life behind them at the same time.
Freshman Ian Taylor chose not to room with his best friend since grade school for this reason.
“It’s better this way,” he said. “We still hang out all the time, but we have our own space too. This way we don’t get completely sick of each other.”
Next year, the two plan to rent a house together.
Houses and apartments are often the next step from the residence halls. Students all over campus are planning and wondering where to live next year. Of course, a roommate can be helpful when the housework needs to be divided, or maybe they have a good ear to listen.
Many students try to find their roommates before searching for a place.
Other students sidestep the want ads section and move into one of the Greek houses near campus. Being a member of a sorority or fraternity allows a student to reside with about 40 to 70 of his or her peers.
“You aren’t put with a huge group of strangers like in the dorms, and you don’t have to live with just one or two other people like in an apartment,” said Lisa Nicholson, a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. “I live in a great place with 50-some fabulous girls.”
Of course, there can be drawbacks to that set-up as well, when members search for some time alone. But for the most part, Nicholson said she believes University men and women come out of Greek housing system feeling better off for their choice to experience that type of living environment.
Many choices and changes are being made campus-wide as this school year draws to a close.
Soon, goodbyes will be said, thank-you-for-everythings will be expressed or maybe even sighs of relief will be breathed, as memories are packed away. And the not-so-inexperienced freshmen who experienced a year’s worth of togetherness will be free to divide and go their separate ways — or they can choose to do it all over again next year.