From the day I committed to Tulane, I imagined having a roommate who was my best friend. I know that it usually doesn’t work out that well, but a girl can dream, right? We would coordinate our colors, I would bring the rug and she would bring the Christmas lights, and we would have the cutest room on our floor. We’d go to the gym together, study together, cry together, and go home with each other over breaks. Then, one fateful day this summer, I got my room assignment. My hands were shaking as I unlocked my phone and opened the email. My heart dropped when I saw that I was assigned a single. All of my hopes of finding my roomsoulmate went out the door and the dread sunk in. I was convinced I wouldn’t have any friends and that I would sit alone in my room all the time and cry. Luckily I was being a bit melodramatic and it has actually been a lot better than that. If you’re considering opting out of having a roommate, here are 5 truths about living in a single your freshman year:
1. You’ll have so much space
You get all of the walls to hang up your pictures, posters, and tapestries on and you can fit in much more than the standard desk, bed, and drawers. This might mean that, like me, you have more space to throw your clothes aside and make a mess, but hopefully you’re a little bit neater than I am.
2. You’ll get cold
If you’re living in Mo or Sharp this might not apply because the rooms can get pretty toasty, but in my experience the combination of a lot of space and not a lot of body heat leads to a chilly single. If you find this to be the case, I suggest laying in your bed, cocooning in your many blankets, and never coming out.
3. You’ll have control over visitors
Whether you want to host Wine Wednesday, bring someone home from the Boot (no judgment), or dance to Jesse McCartney in your underwear, you get to decide who is in your room and when. You can make your room the hangout spot for your friend group or keep it a private space. Either way, you won’t have to put up with your roommate’s annoying friends.
4. You’ll get envious
It’s a fact that during the first few days of school, everyone is going around with their roommates. Eventually that dies down, but they’ll still always have someone to instantaneously talk to or share memes with. Luckily, you can always hang out in the common room, hang out with your suitemates, invade your friends’ rooms, or call your mom. Be a single pringle ready to mingle. We also have this lovely invention called texting so you don’t even have to be in the same place as someone to share funny memes.
5. You’ll be fine
Take it from me, a self-identifying drama queen, living in a single is pretty great. You’ll find a gym buddy, a study buddy, an emotional breakdown buddy, and you’ll take turns visiting all of them at home, and you will never be sexiled.