"It's going to be okay" I tell my roommate almost every day as she complains about how many tests she has this week or how she is failing all her classes, which is not true, or how she wants to quit bio and just be a stripper. If you relate to any of these complaints, then you definitely have a bio major for a roommate. Bio majors have a tough life, they have Genetics quizzes every Tuesday, Organic Chemistry quizzes every Friday, lab reports every week, and this would be an easy week for them. Don't get me wrong, I get work from my classes as well and there are some weeks where I am completely overwhelmed and stressed, but whenever I do feel this way, I just think about my roommate and all of the work she has and somehow it just makes me feel better. There is not one day that passes where I go to my room and she is not studying for some sort of test or quiz. I have always believed bio majors go through a different level of stress that the rest of the world will simply never understand.
Having a bio major-roommate implies she is going to bring other bio majors to complain and study to our room. I like to call this "The Bio Lounge": a place where all bio majors join to cry, laugh, freak out, and talk about how much they hate biology, but will keep at it. "The Bio Lounge" is open 24/7 to everyone. Sometimes I feel like I live with more than one roommate because of the amount of time people spend in my room, such as Rocio and Claudia. I look at myself as their main counselor, the one who always tells them everything will work out even though I'm pretty sure they want to kill me because I am laying on my bed watching Netflix. I try to help the most I can by leaving her encouraging post-it notes whenever I know she has a test. I try to make her relax because at the end of the day, making her laugh is the most help I can give her given that I do not understand absolutely anything about biology and chemistry and I'm pretty much failing my general topics in science class.
As her roommate, I try to distract and show her the world outside of biology and chemistry. We have designated roommate bonding time to watch our favorite shows such as The Voice, Greys Anatomy and Jane the Virgin in order for her to not completely go out of her mind. On Fridays we have nap time; it's good for her because it's the only real sleep she gets throughout the week and it's great for me because I can just keep sleeping. At the end of the day, the only thing I can really do for her is to be there whenever she needs me. My job as her roommate is to keep her sane, try to make her stop thinking about everything she has due, and try to make her laugh and enjoy the good things in life, try to remind her that this is nothing compared to what she will have to deal with in med school (she does not appreciate me telling her that).Don't get me wrong, having a bio major for a roommate has it's perks. You get to meet new people every day as they enter "The Bio Lounge"; this is when you realize half of the school is a bio major. You have peace and quiet while your roommate studies in silence, you get free tutoring for your own science and math classes, you hear all the bio majors' gossip, you master the skill of completely falling asleep with the lights turned on, you learn cool science fun facts, and most importantly, since you know she is going to be a doctor one day, you make up the excuse that she needs to take care of you when you are sick.
So, to my dear wonderful roommate, Ana, and Rocio who is always in my room as well, who are bio majors, all I want to say once again is "It is going to be okay." All of this hard work will pay off someday and I can't wait to see you accomplish all of your dreams. I will be cheering you on all of your major accomplishments; I plan to be the first one to hug you when you get into med school. When we graduate, I will continue to motivate you for what is next and be there for you. And lastly, I will be there at your graduation when you finally get your medical degree. I have seen you in all of your ups and downs and I just know you are going to go far and everything you ever dreamt for will come true. I wouldn't change my biology major roommate for anything in the world.
