Freshman Housing Looks Hard, But It Isn’t
As an incoming freshman, one of my biggest worries about college was having to share a room with a complete stranger. I was accustomed to having a space of my own, a safe haven to retreat to at the end of the day. However, in college, I realized that I will no longer have complete privacy of my own for years. So if you’re concerned about this, don’t worry! There are many different options and choices of housing that you have, and remember that millions of college kids go through this.
You have a choice of having a random roommate or picking your own. If rooming with someone totally random scares you, then you can search for a roommate through various forms of social media, like the Class of 2019 Facebook page. Personally, I chose to go completely random and it turned out to be very successful! Even if you do choose your roommate, there is no guarantee that the two of you will get along perfectly. In the end, do whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
All freshmen are housed together. If you’re an Early Decision student, like I was, then you get your first pick of dorm building for sure. Each residence hall has its ups and downs, and the best way to make a decision of where to live is knowing what you want out of your college life. I decided to live at Sue B. Anthony because it has a dining hall on the first floor so that I don’t have to walk in the snow to eat. It also has a grocery market, which is extremely overpriced and angers me every time I go in and see that a jar of pickles is $7.99. But it’s still convenient when I need, say, a carton of ice cream at 1:00 in the morning (it happens). If you have specific questions about freshman housing, don’t hesitate to email me!
Once you have decided where to live and who you’re living with, you will receive mail about roommate contact information. As soon as I received my mail, I contacted my future roommate on Facebook and introduced myself. This is a good time to establish any rules or preferences you would like your roommate to know about. For example, a rule can be no late-night visitors or maybe keeping the room relatively cool, even in the winter. Whatever your particular rules might be, this is a good time to talk about them with your roommate. If there are any electronics or big pieces of furniture you want to bring, ask your roommate what he/she is bringing. For example, my roommate and I decided to split the rent cost for a refrigerator/microwave, she brought a printer and a mirror, and I brought a Keurig. Nobody needs two printers in the room.
Overall, my experience with freshman housing was very positive. I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate and friend, and the thing that amazes me the most is that it was a completely random pick! I realize that this doesn’t happen to everyone, but there is no need to get anxious or scared about dorm life. Be excited!