The Good That Came From Supplemental Housing: My Experience

Figuring out where you’re going to live in college can be stressful, especially as a freshman. There are so many things that can go wrong, like a bad roommate or not getting placed in the housing location you chose. Although it may seem like the end of the world to not get the “best” or “ideal” dorm placement, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.  

Most schools try to accommodate as many students on campus as possible, even if that means they don’t get their first choice. Here at Penn State and at many other large schools, we have what’s called supplemental housing. Basically, it’s overflow housing where they generally put 4+ people in a larger room so they can fit more students in the dorms.

My freshman year, I was placed in a supplemental room with three other girls. I’m not going to lie; I was not thrilled when I got my room assignment. The idea of living with three random girls was far from what I had pictured my freshman year starting with.  

After the initial shock of finding out that’s where I got put, I accepted it and began to look at the positives. “Keep an open mind,” my mom told me. “You may find these girls to be your best friends.” Little did I know she was 100% correct.  

When we got there to move in, the room itself was better than expected. It was 2-3x the size of a normal double and we got a full size fridge. Huge windows stretched the entire length of the wall, giving us a beautiful view of the mountains.

Even though there were four of us, the size of the room gave us all our own space and it never felt too cramped or crowded.

The year started off well and we all got along nicely. One of our roommates was a student athlete for the university, so she wasn’t there much, but when we were all together, we were usually all talking and laughing. 

My other two roommates and I grew close fairly quickly. We went out together on the weekends, stayed up late talking about random things at night and would accompany each other on little trips downtown.  

We were there for each other through the good and the bad and through all the new experiences that come with freshman year of college. Penn State is a huge school, but these girls made it feel like I truly found my home away from home.  

Fast forward to today, and they are two of my closest friends. Despite living far from each other, we still find a way to make time in our busy lives to meet and spend time together, even if it’s just something simple. It is safe to say that I can’t imagine my life without them, and it’s crazy to think that we met by pure chance.  

With all that being said, if you’re a freshman and find yourself in the same place that I was, don’t take it as a bad thing because you didn’t get your first pick. Through my experience in supplemental housing, I learned that sometimes things don’t go according to plan for a reason and that reason may be better than you can imagine.  

I completely understand being upset when things don’t go how you expect. Freshman year can be stressful enough already and the last thing you need is added worry. If I’ve learned one thing from my experience it’s that while something may feel like a bad thing in the initial moment, it usually works out for the best in the long run.

So, while it seems less than ideal to be placed in supplemental, it isn’t really as bad as people may say it is. At the end of the day, if I could do it all over again, I would choose to do it all the same.  

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