As students prepare to return to classes and schoolwork, many are beginning to think about where they are going to live next year and, more importantly, who they are going to live with in their houses, dorms or apartments.
Living with others while in college can be interesting, occasionally frustrating and everything in between. However, Hannah Bedricky, a senior at IU, said living alone just would not be the same.
“Living alone would be lonely,” Bedricky said.
Amanda Marino, a senior at IU, said it can be nice to have a roommate in your life, especially during down time.
“They are someone to be around when you didn’t make any plans,” Marino said.
Bedricky said she feels the same way as Marino.
“I wait for people to get home to bother them,” Bedricky said.
Andrew Henderson, a junior at IU said it is a good thing he does not live alone and has roommates to hang out with because they force him to be social.
“Usually one of my roommates is free to hang out,” Henderson said. “If I lived alone I would not be social. I would just watch Netflix all the time.”
However, not everyone has a great experience with roommates.
Nick Fisher, also a senior at IU, lived in a single room his freshman year and had his own bad roommate stories from sharing a room during the Intensive Freshman Seminar the summer before classes started.
“He would just stare at me, watch me, without speaking,” Fisher said. “I thought he had it in for me.”
Fisher said it was the same thing every day and he felt the whole experience was creepy.
Even though they have roommates, many students also have their own rooms in their apartments and houses.
Bedricky said having her own room is a huge relief for her.
“Having my own room definitely makes a difference,” Bedricky, said.
Having her own room allowed her to have her own secret chaos even when the rest of the house was clean, Bedricky said.
Before you go out looking for a roommate, it might be good to do some self-analysis, Marino said.
“Think about how you really felt living with your roommate,” Marino said. “Was it really that uncomfortable?”
Marino and Fisher both stressed the need to do some self-analysis before making a decision. You may just need a bigger space, or if it is truly bad you might need to live with someone else.
Think about what you are like, your habits and needs, decide if you prefer quiet time or activity.
“You have to decide what you enjoyed,” Fisher said. “If you liked the dorm-floor mentality stick with that. Otherwise follow your friends. If they all look at a house or apartment complex, go with them.”
Don’t worry about only knowing your potential roommates for a semester. People can learn about their roommates pretty quickly during the
