I just saw that Target commercial with the two roommies who become best friends while decorating their respective sides of their dorm room, and my first thought was “Oh, if only.” Maybe if my freshman year roommie and I would have had Calabria 2008 blasting in the background while we hip hop danced our way through the unpacking process, we would’ve gotten along better? Maybe, but probably not. Meeting your roommie for the first time can be tough, especially if you don’t instantly feel a connection. You’ve been thinking about this moment of first contact for months (maybe even years!) and if it doesn’t turn out the way you imagined, it could add even more stress and anxiety to your life.
But don’t freak out! Pinky swear, it’s not that serious. You don’t have to be best friends with your roommie to have a positive 1st year experience. As long as the two of you respect each other and respect each other’s space and stuff, things should be okay. This may seem tough if you and your roommie are totally different, but that’s not entirely true. You automatically have two things in common: you’re at the same school and you’re both ‘the new kid.’ Navigating the process of figuring out where things are and who to go to for what with your roommie can be a great way to forge a bond between the two of you.
The important point is to have, and keep, and open mind. This sort of situation can give you an amazing opportunity to learn, both about your roommie and about yourself. Living with someone who is totally different from you for a whole year can expose you to all sorts of new things like foods, bands, movies, lifestyles, etc. And at the same time, you can develop new tastes and interests based on what you learn, and start to understand the types of things that you can and cannot tolerate.
