It’s that time of the year when students across batches return to campus after a long summer home, and begin a new semester, often with new roommates. Some of you may have chosen your roommates, some may not have had the opportunity, either because you didn’t know anyone who wanted to room with you, or you’re part of a group that has an odd number, or a potential roommate had certain living conditions you didn’t like. Whatever the case may be, you found yourself writing ‘no preference’ or ‘random’ on the form, or choosing someone you didn’t know well because there was no other option. And if you’re like me, you may have felt bad about it, thinking that it’s weird to not choose a friend as a roommate. However, going in for a random option does have its advantages.
1. Meeting New People: If you’re part of a large batch, chances are you may not know your new roommate very well, or not at all. This is a perfect opportunity to get to know them as a batchmate or a classmate and come out of your friends group, expanding the number of people you meet every day. If your roommate has friends of their own who drop by, you can get to know them as well. Though I chose my roommate in my third year, I didn’t know her well. By the end of the academic year, not only were we quite close, I got along great with her friends too, and sometimes we would team up against my roommate just for fun. This can expose you to a new group of people, whom you might like just as much as your own friends.
2. Habits: Even though there’s a chance you may pick up some bad habits from your new, unknown roommate, you can also pick up some good or funny habits from them too. One of my roommates tended to dump her things at the foot of her bed and put them back another day; in three weeks, I ended up doing the exact same thing, and couldn’t stop laughing when I realized what just happened. Another roommate was extremely responsible, and I picked up those habits as well in no time at all (which probably made my mother very happy). You can learn a lot from a roommate, and obtain some quirks or habits that stick, and may even be a better influence than if you had a friend as a roommate.
3. Circumstances: With this situation, you learn how to respond to situations that you have no control over, and need to make the best out of what you have. You learned to adjust to a new schedule, speak up if your roommate is doing something to make your living experience uncomfortable and live in unexpected environments. Today it may be an unknown roommate, tomorrow it may be some adversity in your career or a sudden transfer. Not having a roommate you chose is good training for the future.
4. Friends versus Roommates: A friend once told me that good friends don’t necessarily make good roommates. You may have a lot of things in sync with your friends, but once you start living with them, you might find they have a lifestyle or preferences that you don’t like, such as playing loud music without realizing they may be disturbing you, smoking in the room, or messing up the room entirely. That could impact your friendship and leave a sour taste in your mouth by the end of the year. The reverse is true as well: you don’t need to be good friends to be good roommates: even if you two don’t connect, you can find a way to live together and have similar room preferences.
This is not to say that living with a random roommate is always good, or that living with your friends is always bad. College is full of different people with different dorm experiences: you have to see what works for you. Most importantly, you shouldn’t put yourself down for not having chosen a friend as a roommate, or not having chosen a roommate at all; it doesn’t necessarily reflect your popularity or worth as a person. A new roommate can lead to new experiences. And sometimes, it’s just fun to make another friend!
Images by Her Campus Visual Content Team