With the recent room selection for next year, you had to make the tough decision of who are you going to room with? You can decide whether you want to continue rooming with the same person, pick different friends to room with or go in hoping for the best.
Having a roommate is an essential part of the college experience because it teaches you to live on your own away from your parents, without the scary reality of being by yourself. “You always have somebody to do something with; always have somebody to complain to,” sophomore marketing major Nicole Lawlor said.
It’s hard to tell whether the roommate that is randomly generated for you is going to be a good match. “Me and my roommate were both people who could get along with other people. Of course when the year drags on, people always get tired of each other but that’s just what happens when you live with someone new,” Chris Keeney, sophomore history major said.
Rooming with someone you already know can be risky, because if something goes wrong it can ruin your friendship, but often times it is another source of company for you to have. “It’s almost like you’re always hanging out with someone,” Keeney said. Roommates are your main companion, especially if you begin freshman year not knowing anyone. Often times they are your first, and sometimes longest, friends here at Cabrini.
As much as no one wants it to happen, sometimes roommates don’t work out, and in that case your RA or Res Life is there to assist, but working it out together is the first step. “I think you’re always going to have problems, the two of us are fine together, we don’t fight or anything but there’s stuff that I’m sure I do that annoys her and stuff she does that annoys me,” Lawlor said. “You’re never gonna be perfect, you just have to tolerate each other.”
“You have to adjust to what your roommates are like,” Keeney said. “Whether it’s scheduling when you have class or other activities, or their study habits if they like to listen to music when they study, you just have to correspond with each other.”
If you come from a home where you had a room to yourself, rooming with someone may pose a challenge to you. You have to learn when it’s time to do work and when it’s time to go to bed. “You can’t always do everything you want because you have to be courteous,” Lawlor said. “That’s why sometimes it’s nice to have the weekends to myself.”
Roommates also do not have to become your best friends. Sometimes it can work out that way, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t like living with them as much as you thought you would. “Some roommates aren’t as eager to adjust as others. It’s really just working out what works best for the people” Keeney said.
One thing is for sure, roommates will be there for you at the times when you are homesick or really down or stressed, they see you at your worst when you crawl out of bed late for your 8:15 and still accept you. “it’s almost like you’re not alone even though you’re not at home with your family, and even though sometimes it can be annoying it’s comforting.” Keeney said.
