Ask anybody you know, and they'll probably tell you that rooming with someone you know from home is the worst idea.
I'm here to tell you that if you find the right person, it's the best idea.
My roommate and I were good friends in high school. We were only really close in our seventh grade year, but we never had problems with each other. We didn't spend an abundance of time together in school, but when we did, it was a good time.
Senior year, we happened to have our first class of the day together. There, we grew and bonded as friends. When it became time to choose colleges, I had my mind set for the main part on Shippensburg, and Maxie, my future roommate, had no idea where she wanted to go, or if she even wanted to go. It was one day in our very first class that I had asked her if she wanted to room with me. She hadn't even applied to school yet, but we made the decision right there to live together once she had been accepted.
People think if you room with a friend, you'll fight all of the time and eventually not be friends. If anything, this has brought Maxie and I closer together than any other friendship I have.
We encourage each other to do our best academically. We laugh together over old memories. We bond over new ones. We cry over what is upsetting us. We do spontaneous things for no reason at all.
It helps having someone to be there for you during such a tough transitioning period. When that someone knows your past, and is able to help you grow through the tough periods of life like Maxie has for me already, you want to hold on for that friendship as long as possible.
I wouldn't want any other roommate in the world. I don't think there will ever be a day that I wouldn't want to lay in bed after a long stressful day and talk about life with her.
If you find the right friend, rooming with them is the best idea in the world.
I'm so glad I found mine.
