Who am I Living With: Getting to Know a Random Roommate

Harder classes and the transition from high school are not always the scariest parts of freshman year. For those moving into the dorms without the security of an old friend to live with, meeting the stranger you’ll share the next two semesters with can be a frightening experience.

I was incredibly anxious when I turned the key of my freshman dorm for the first time. I knew nothing about the person behind the splintered, wooden door. Of course we’d talked (he’d bring the coffee pot and I’d bring the TV), but our conversations were limited to room size and storage space.

Inside was my exact opposite. My extrovert contrasted with his introvert just as my preppy Hollister khakis clashed with his purple Hurley board shorts. I couldn’t imagine anything that we could possibly have in common. Finding something we both enjoyed on television was a search for the Holy Grail. 

(Image via Rebloggy)

For weeks on end we co-existed in our cramped 10’ by 12’ room in silence, talking only enough to know when the other was leaving. It only took a hurricane to bring us together. Sandy’s torrential downpours and damaging winds left us confined to our room Halloween weekend. Desperate to relieve my boredom, I turned my head to see that my roommate was playing my favorite game: Minecraft. A quick conversation revealed that we shared many favorite video games as well as a love of psychological thrillers and lowbrow comedies. From then on, we were fast friends and planned to live together again by choice. 

(Image via Quickmeme)

Although my situation resolved itself, the awkwardness would have never occurred in the first place if I had made a better effort to know my roommate before move-in. While some weirdness is unavoidable, these simple techniques can ensure that you have a better idea of who you’re living with before its just the two of you and four concrete walls.