• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Campus life / And Suddenly, I Found Myself Living With a Stranger

And Suddenly, I Found Myself Living With a Stranger

February 4, 2021 //  by Gabrielle Coudakis

FacebookTweet

Graduating high school and moving to college feels a daunting task for every incoming freshman, right? But what about starting college with your best friend at your side? When attending university, it felt imperative for me that I did not get matched up with a roommate— a stranger. I didn’t want to deal with the uncertainty that comes along with living with a random person.

Despite feeling mature enough to go off to college, I still needed a crutch connecting my old life to my new life.

giphy.com

When finding out that we both were placed in rooms with random people, my friend and I were relentless in asking the school to change our room assignments. My mom told me that maybe it would be for the best so I can meet new people although I did not want to hear it. We somehow finally convinced them to change it.

However, it came with a catch. There would be a third person in our room, causing it to be a triple room rather than our intended double. This trade felt good enough for us. We said, “It’s okay, it’ll be us against her. At least we’ll be together.”

It’s at this point where the title would seem to make sense—the stranger danger alarm began to flash, only for an unexpected plot twist to slowly unravel.

giphy.com

When we got to campus for move-in day, we were so excited for what college had in store for us. New classes, football games, new friends—and being able to do it all together. We felt like we would be able to get comfortable going into each new situation because we wouldn’t need to do it alone. By the second week, we found ourselves adjusting smoothly… besides the fact that I slowly started to resent my closest friend.

The saying, “You don’t really know someone until you move in with them,” started to make all the sense in the world. I realized that I didn’t know my friend as well as I thought I did. Little things began to add up until I couldn’t take it anymore. We went from telling each other everything to barely speaking at all.

We would go days with no words said and exchanged a few glares in between. Despite our beds being literally two inches apart, I felt as though there were a million miles between us. I had no clue how to fix the gap or even if I wanted to fix it. The silver lining to this incredibly awkward situation became my third roommate.

The roommate that I thought would turn out awful ended up being one of my best friends, even to this day four years later.

giphy.com

On the first day, we completely hit off and became inseparable. Picture this: the first real night of our new college life, and already I found myself being ditched by my bestie for her boyfriend. My other roommate and I, now just the two of us left in our dorm, decided to go to the dining hall and grab some food. After getting all of the introductions and small talk out of the way, we realized how easily talking to one another came. We were different, from different backgrounds, different lifestyles—yet somehow, it worked. 

Not only did we get along, but we also challenged each other in different ways and helped each other grow as individuals. We were able to introduce each other to new things and new culture. We helped each other with homework, picked out our outfits in the mornings before class together and traded memes all night long. The room would be silent, then you would hear the ding of an incoming text followed by laughter and this process would just repeat until one of us fell asleep.

Without realizing it, we formed a bond like no other by being able to spend hours and hours together and never getting bored.

giphy.com

If I can offer any advice to my freshman self, it would be to leave my security blanket at home. I genuinely thought that doing everything together with a friend from home would improve my college experience. However, instead it only ended up hindering me from trying new things and meeting new people.

We felt a responsibility to each other, though we soon realized we no longer really enjoyed being with one another. Despite how scary college can be, everyone eventually finds their own way. Being open to new experiences remains the key to a happy college life—and, of course, listening to your mother.

FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Campus life Freshmen

About Gabrielle Coudakis

Gabrielle is Senior Communications major and St. John’s University. She enjoys baking, binge watching and believe it or not, working. She hopes to one day be able to excessively travel and maybe move abroad.

You May Also Like

A Gator’s Bucket-List: 21 Things to Do Before Graduating From UF

the receptionist

A Conversation with the Receptionist

best classes

10 Best Classes You Need to Take at Drake University

St Salvators Quad image

My Hate/Love Relationship With My Joint Degree Program

College students walking

Becoming a Chameleon at Other College Campuses

And Suddenly, I Found Myself Living With a Stranger

Top 10 Safest Colleges and Campuses in the United States

CampusLife_sm

CM’s Top 10 Schools Doing Residential Life Right

colleges for future philanthropists

Live to Give: Top 10 Colleges for Future Philanthropists

Top 10 COVID-19 Safe Activities to Do Near Fresno, California

One Girl and a Whole World: What I Learned from My International Friends

fog

10 Reasons Why Bennington College Is the Quirkiest College

crim dell bridge

10 Signs That You’re a True TWAMP: Typical William & Mary Person

10 Tech Gifts to Make Zoom University That Much Easier

10 Essential Steps Before Graduating at Penn State

Longsword and Fencing Mask Pictured in Front of Window

Swords, Bruises, and How to Find Joy in College

Fight On: 8 Reasons Why USC is Better Than UCLA

College Magazine’s 10 Best Colleges for Studying a Foreign Language

bruin belles two girls laughing

How You Can Get Involved with the Bruin Belles

10 COVID-19 Safe Activities Near Orlando, Florida

friend group

Top 10 FOMO-Worthy Events at St. John’s University

Life in a Global Pandemic: A Love Letter to My FOMO

10 Most-Loved Professors at the University of Florida

How Dating a POC Helped Me Accept Myself as an Asian-American

Previous Post: « 8 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes That Won’t Break the Bank
Next Post: Halloween Isn’t the Only Time for Ghosting Anymore »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

70

Top 10 Weird Scholarships You Can’t Miss

60

24 Ways My 2020 Survival Guide Turned into 2021 Lifestyle Habits

55

The Ultimate Auburn University Bucket List: 21 Things to Do Before Graduating

best classes
24

10 Best Classes You Need to Take at Drake University

cover photo sju si
10

Top 10 Best Resources Offered at St. John’s University-Staten Island

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.