Either one of two things are about to happen; you'll get along with your freshman year roommate or you won't. For me, my freshman year roommate and I didn't speak and I learned how to live with that. Everything that's about to happen is going to be a major adjustment.
Going from living at home with just you and your parents to living in a dorm filled with 500 students and a roommate is a big change. If you're like me, going from a quiet house in a suburban area to a loud dorm building is a weird thing. It definitely took me about a month or so to get used to sleeping to the sounds of loud music, a snoring roommate, or someone waking you up at all hours of the night. But the key is, I did end up getting used to living with other people.
It isn't going to be the easiest adjustment, especially if you've never really spent a lot of time away from home. But, you'll learn how to live with people that you probably never imagined yourself living with. If you have a similar situation to mine, you may not like your roommate or even speak to her for that matter.
I learned so much from the experience of living with someone that I truly did not get along with, such as the fact that I'm able to stand my ground. I realized after a while that my room is my space and if I wanted to be in there then that was my decision. After I realized that, I think things started to get a lot easier for me.
You're going to want to make your side of the room feel as much home-like as possible, so if you're like me that'll mean a bunch of fuzzy pillows and blankets. Although you won't be spending all of your time in your dorm room, it's important that you do feel at home during the time that you are in there.
It's going to be strange falling asleep and waking up with someone else in your room every day. Listening to someone snore and toss and turn in bed isn't the most fun way to fall asleep, but you learn to get used to it. Whether it's using more blankets or pillows, listening to music, or just trying to imagine yourself on a beach somewhere, you'll figure out what works for you. Hearing someone else's alarm in the morning isn't the best way to wake up, but you eventually get used to learning how to sleep through it or just go back to sleep.
It isn't all bad, going off to college to live in a 19x10 dorm with a total stranger is quite the experience. Whether it starts out as good or bad, it'll be what you make it. It's up to you to make the most of it and branch out to new opportunities. College is a series of new opportunities and you need to wake up every day deciding to do your best.
