A little more than a year ago, I wrote an article about how I was comfortable with my roommate situation, in that we weren’t all best friends but we were all civil. One year later, I have an update: I was wrong, and being friends with your roommates is great, actually.
I have been fortunate to have been able to renew my contract for my on-campus apartment every year since I was a sophomore, and last year one of my roommates chose to renew her contract as well. We had two new roommates come in, and there was an immediate chemistry between the four of us that I had never experienced before among previous roommates. Although my roommate who had renewed her contract and I had gotten close, having two others who were not only chill, but genuinely fun to be around, was life-changing. Now, we cook all together, share dinners, sit around for hours having deep conversations — all the things that roommate relationships are made out to be by so many others.
The one thing that was necessary was time. It took time for all of us to make sure expectations were made clear, but once those were in place it became so easy to connect with each other outside of just being four people who live together. Having that “click” absolutely helped, but getting to move beyond being just civil and actually becoming friends has made the living experience even more amazing than I ever could have expected.
So, whether you’re friends with your roommates or not, give it time to see if things improve! Make sure to communicate as you’re able to and if you’re able to be friends with your roommates is possible. Ultimately, a great living experience is possible regardless of if you’re BFFs or not!