It’s that time of year again! It’s time to select where and with whom you’ll be spending the next school year. Why on earth must we decide so soon? Remember that SO much can happen between the 6 months of choosing your roommate(s), and actually living with them. While all of your housing options can seem somewhat unnerving, what really matters is who you live with, if anyone at all. Each option listed below has its advantages and disadvantages.
Here are the five options you have to choose from:
1. Living on your own
I mean, at least you know what you are getting into, right? You know how messy you are, you know who’s responsible for your obscene utility bills, and nobody will eat your leftovers (this is crucial). While being on your own is incredibly liberating, it also means a substantial amount of “me time,” which can either enhance your creativity and passions, or isolate you. You’re also entirely responsible for yourself. If you are okay with doing all of the cleaning and household chores, more power to you!
2. Living with your best friend(s)
You know they have your back no matter what, even if you live together. Best friends allow you to be who you are, even if who you are does some pretty ridiculous things like drink coffee naked while watching morning cartoons (not that I’ve ever done this or anything). However, the closeness of your friendship can make it hard to face them when there is a roommate problem, because you couldn’t stand to hurt their feelings. If you want them to do the dishes, speak up! That saying “honesty is the best policy” still holds true with your BFF, even if you are roommates (ESPECIALLY if you are roommates).
3. Living with an acquaintance
This is by far the safest bet in my opinion—you know them well enough to decide you would be good roommates, while also recognizing that if something were to go awry, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. If you know your acquaintance decently well, you can fairly easily set boundaries without the additional concern of straining a super-close friendship.
4. Living with a stranger
If you choose to go for the “mixed bag” approach, commonly practiced in dorm life, you are incredibly brave; I applaud you.This option is typically the case for many freshmen when they’re randomly assigned a roommate. Living with a stranger can go two ways: you either become best friends with your roommate or you despise them. However, there is something exhilarating about not knowing who your roommate is—the newness of this person can bring a wealth or new experiences (or stress) for some. It might be hard to set boundaries, at first, because you don’t know the person that well, and it might be a little awkward bringing an annoyance up, but hey, they’re a stranger, right?
Remember the pros and cons of these options when making your decision for next year’s housing. Good luck!