It's that time of year again; the weather is getting warmer, baseball season is starting, and all the high school seniors are deciding on where they're going to school next year. The next step after sending in your deposit is the long search for a roommate. Any high school senior has seen the cliche Facebook posts and had the awkward first messages as if you're asking your potential roomie out on a date. But rising college students beware, there's a lot that people lie about as they try and find the perfect best friend and roommate for the perfect college experience. Watch out if anyone ever says these:
1. I try to be in bed before midnight
I'm sure that with your high school workload, you can get a decent amount of sleep each night. But once you guys are in college and your first class isn't until 1 pm, you'll find yourself up till 4 am playing video games with your floor, FaceTiming your friends, or finishing up that paper you should've started a week ago.
2. I'll be at the gym all the time, definitely looking for a gym buddy!
You probably will hit up the gym religiously the first few weeks of the semester. But you will soon forget where the gym even is as homework, clubs, and activities pile up. And if someone says they'll be that gym buddy, chances are they'll go with you once and never again (sorry to my current roommate for doing exactly that!).
3. I'm a super tidy person, I'll keep my side of the room clean
There are two possibilities with this one. Either they are a very clean person now and will keep the room very neat at first until you both stop caring and realize you haven't done laundry since you went home for break a month ago and you forgot what color your rug is. Or they just were never clean in the first place and they're just hoping it won't matter.
4. I'm more of a morning person
I've yet to meet a morning person on my campus, I seriously think they just don't exist among 18-22-year-olds. Hate to break it to you, but if you were a morning person in high school, you probably won't be in college.
5. I try to eat healthily
Props to those who actually were able to keep this up in college but I was definitely lying to myself back in the summer when I said I'd do this. It's super hard to do in college when there are lots of restaurants and always some kind of free food somewhere on campus.
I get it, you really do mean it when you say you'll be responsible in college until you actually get here. It's a whole new experience and what you expect to happen and what will happen completely changes once the semester starts. Good luck to all the high school seniors as they begin the hunt for a roommate!
