Throughout high school, we prepare
for college: we focus on taking the AP classes, getting good grades, creating
the perfect college essay, and filling out college applications. Then we get
into college and start worrying about the place where we will live for the next
four years. Who will we room with? Who will we befriend? As high school draws
to a close, a part of me worries about leaving Chagrin and everyone I know. For
the most part I have kept the same friends since fourth and fifth grade. Next
year, I will have to start all over. Unfortunately, I barely remember how I got
the friends I have today: I just remember hating Anna then hanging out all the
time and something about Victoria getting me a fork so we decided to become
friends. So, I have little to go off of when figuring out the best tactics to
meet new people and create a good first impression. I cannot really afford two
years of bitter rivalry with someone before we get to know each other. Growing
up with a close group of friends, and in the “Bubble” no less, has hardly
prepared me to meet new people. Most people who do not know me very well
probably see me as quiet. So, I will need to work on becoming more outgoing
with new people since I will virtually know no one at college. Over the past
few days, I have heard other people talk about this issue, discussing
questionnaires for finding roommates and what to consider when searching for someone
to live with. Of course I have heard the stories about crazy roommates, making
me realize the need to act down to earth and accept that I will have to
compromise at times, as I will have to share a room with someone I have never
met. Hopefully, my future classmates will view me as nice, caring and
reasonable, so I do not become one of those psycho roommate stories. Fortunately,
with my college’s average class size of around 1700 students, almost half the
population of Chagrin Falls, I feel pretty confident I will find some friends and create a good
impression. If not, I always have grad school.
I share your fear of having a crazy roommate or having my roommate consider me as the crazy one. The college I have picked to attend for undergraduate school does not have any of those fancy tests that help you find a roommate; you must simply find one awkwardly off of the 2017 class wall on Facebook... Needless to say, I have choosen to pick a random roommate to avoid the peculiar wall-at least we can always switch coinhabitats if they drive you mad.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I discovered that my interests and likes on Facebook stood the same as they did when I first joined the social network in 2009. They predominantly consisted of The Jonas Brothers, "The Clique" series, and lollipops. In that moment I realized why none of my potential roommates were working out: they thought I would stand as the "crazy roommate." While finding a potential roommate resembles that of a dating website, I feel confident that you, along with our classmates, will end up with an awesome roommate!
ReplyDeleteAna, I too worry about my future roommate, especially since I have decided to go random. However, I think roommate worries are simply a part of the college experience and because several thousand students normally attend any given college, I think finding and making friends will turn out much easier than everyone anticipates. Also, university housing departments have paired up thousands of students with good roommates, so I am confident they will do the same for you and the rest of our classmates.
ReplyDeleteLiving with a roommate has concerned me ever since my mother subjected me to an episode of Law and Order in which a college-aged girl, unfortunately named Megan, murders her roommate. Though I have only had positive experiences with roommates at summer programs, I still fear that perhaps I will not get along with the person for a year. But, as my host at an admitted students day told me, you need not room with your best friend, you simply need to tolerate your roommate. (And, in the spirit of Law and Order, apparently hope that she does not murder you...).
ReplyDeleteBecause of spending four years as debate partners, we have roomed together for over three full weeks total. I can vouch for you. You keep your stuff in order and don't spend too long in the bathroom. Equally impressive, you have tolerated my mess and crankiness through it all. You hog the blankets and we favor different room temperatures, but that aside I give you high marks.
ReplyDelete