Compared to many other best friends we haven't been that close for very long.
When college application time came around we were both so ready. We dreamed of getting out of that blue and gold cafeteria, and being around people who were ready to change the world. College seemed like the perfect escape, an opportunity to go and do exactly what we dreamed of doing, with people who shared a common goal. My best friend was preparing to become a nurse, and myself a teacher. I was looking forward to the diversity of a public college, and her to the independence that comes with college.
Then the time came, and we chose to go separate ways. At first it was just words, "I'm going here", "She's going there". Personally, reality never sunk in until I helped her move into her dorm and realized she wasn't going to be just down the street from me anymore. I wouldn't be able to go and snuggle her kittens while she was at work,and she wouldn't be able to use my washing machine for work uniform emergencies.
The next challenge was deciding who we would room with. If it couldn't be each other, could we possibly manage to share a living space with someone else? She would show me profiles of potential people, we would message them together, and then give up. As it happened, a mutual friend entered the picture. They had chosen my same college, and while we weren't best friends-we had mild personalities and could be decent to each other. Many people warned against rooming with someone from high school, "You'll never meet any new people" or "You'll hate each other's guts by the end". While there's still time for that to become a reality, the first month has passed and I would say we're doing just fine.
Looking back, I think not rooming together, as established best friends, regardless of our college locations, may have been in our best interest. Of course it was heartbreaking, and we often said we didn't have many other friends besides each other. Which was true, most of the time it was just us-and that wasn't always a bad thing unless someone was working. I also know some of the reasons I love my best friend could have been turned into reasons not to live together. She was practically an insomniac, and thanks to my mother I tend to enjoy my eight to nine hours of sleep quite thoroughly. We studied hard together, but she was always better, and more persistent at trying to understand a subject-where I was more prone to give up after the 47th time. On some things we simply didn't agree-and it shaped us for the better.
Regardless, I would still call her first if there was an emergency. She is my family, and I hope to be an excellent honorary "Aunt" if the time ever comes, but cats make great "nieces/nephews" too. As for living together, I think the advice was right-that it would've put too much stress on the time we usually would treasure together. However, to those that said rooming with someone from high school would mean not having any friends freshman year, must've stayed in that dorm room and never set foot outside all year. Something that is technically impossible. Making friends, however, is entirely possible, you simply have to be proactive. Sometimes people will come right up and introduce themselves, and other times you have to go to a couple Zumba classes before you really get to know the people around you. However, that's the great thing about college: there are people everywhere!
I love my best-friend, and I am so grateful to have had the roommate experience that I have had so far. My best friend taught me to stand up for myself, and always called me out when I was being hypocritical (something very important to me). My roommate has been incredibly accommodating, and as we've learned how to respect each other's boundaries we've found that we really do enjoy having gone to high school together. If I could go back in time, I still wouldn't change my decisions and I feel that's a good thing.
