Since I started college, I have lived with a total of 17 roommates. That's a lot of girls. Lots of VERY different girls. Some of them were from my time with the Disney College Program, and some are from my time so far living in an on-campus apartment at EMU.

There's been fights, drama, and differences, but there's also been love and some of the best times of my life with these girls that I wouldn't trade for the world. I have gone in blind with every single one of them, not knowing what to expect. But looking back, I'm so glad I did because I met some lifelong friends in the process.

Here are the top 15 things I was surprised to learn from living with roommates.

1. You automatically acquire a whole new wardrobe.

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Odds are that someone you live with wears the same size as you. And it opens up a world of possibilities.

2. Everything in the general living space is fair game, and can and will be used by your roommates.

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Food, games, appliances, cleaning supplies, etc. If it's out, it will be used by someone.

3. You will often get texted, "Can you let me in?"

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You'll forget your key sometimes. So will they. Getting locked out of the apartment isn't uncommon, and neither is getting this text.

4. If you share a room with someone, you will often wake them up without meaning to.

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Sometimes the person you share a room with will have a completely different work and sleep schedule than you. And in such a small space, the alarms and the lights on while one of you is getting ready is probably going to wake them up. Even if you're being extra quiet and doing your makeup in the dark.

5. You will start to feel like you know your roommates' families like your own.

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You hear about them all the time. You know their names. You're in the room when they're on the phone or Face-timing. After a while, you'll start to feel like they're your family too.

6. They will be able to tell when you're in a mood.

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You're around your roommates all the time, so if something is going on with you, they're going to notice.

7. There's always someone to cry to.

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There's a lot of crying involved in college. Your roommates know that firsthand. And if you need to cry in front of them, there will never be judgement.

8. Study sessions with your roommates often turn into Taco Bell runs.

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The answer to, "Wanna go get food?" will most likely never be no.

9. They'll always support your bad decisions.

Kristin Madaj

No matter how crazy or irrational of a decision you're making, they'll always think it's a good idea and probably do it with you. You need these kind of people in your life.

10. When you live with someone who you end up not getting along with, it makes things very awkward.

Kristin Madaj

Sometimes, things will happen and you'll end up having some big issues with a roommate. It might even lead to not speaking to them anymore. This makes the situation very awkward to live in, and there's really not much you can do about it.

11. Your roommate group chat will be a nonstop conversation.

Kristin Madaj

Sometimes it's relevant conversation, but most of the time it's just nonsense. And I love it.

12. Your sleep schedules will be way different. Or they'll end up syncing up.

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"OMG how did it get to be 4 a.m.??" If you hang out with your roommates enough, you might start adopting the same weird sleep schedule, maybe without even meaning to. But differences in work and class schedules can cause your sleep patterns to be totally different. They're all over the place.

13. You always have someone to hang out with.

Kristin Madaj

You'll never have to feel lonely when you have roommates, because there's almost always someone to do things with.

14. You will be each other's taxi sometimes.

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It's just something you do. Roommates are really good for giving rides when you need them. And they know they can count on you to give them too!

15. If you get close with them, you have probably made a friend for life.

Kristin Madaj

At the end of the day, the experiences I've had with my roommates have helped make me who I am today. Even with the mistakes and missteps and going in agreeing to live with complete strangers, I've come out knowing that no matter where I go from here, some of them will always have my back. And that's way more than I can ask from a roommate.