Recently, I moved into college. I came in as an out-of-state student that knew no one. I met my roommate on Facebook, and we FaceTimed a few times prior to move in day, but really, I knew no one. I followed my suite mates on various social media platforms, but knew very little about their lives, so I was nervous about what the coming year would hold.

All four of us are out-of-state and from different states: North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Minnesota, to be exact. While some of these states are pretty far from South Carolina, and each other, there are plenty of commonalities between the four of us, but there are also obvious differences.

The most obvious difference is our accents. We stay up late at night comparing sayings, wives tells, and how we say our vowels. We have had phone conversations with people from our home states to compare accents, it's been a real, and super fun, learning experience to say the least.

Another difference is our taste in music. The part I find most interesting, is that the one from Minnesota, not the one from Nashville, is the biggest country music fan! You would naturally pin that genre on us bumpkins from the south. She also is very polite, and curious about southern "culture", stating that our crazy sayings, which many people read as unintelligent, are pretty clever.

After living with my first yankee, I can breathe a big sigh of relief that all of them aren't the harsh loud talkers that we hear about.

The mixture of accents and hometown stories that seem exotic, (try to explain to someone that they eat fire engine red hot dogs where you live) makes sure there is always a good time in suite 285.

While there are some real regional differences between the four of us, our overlap is also incredible. We share many of the same values, which is surprising considering our span from big cities to small towns, and from the southeast to the midwest.

I got really lucky to be placed with four beautiful girls with amazing stories, good home training, and Christian values. Our first two weeks have been amazing and our differences make us closer than our similarities. We all have a real appreciation for each other's stories and quirks, and that has made my experience great so far.

I've done almost everything here at Clemson with my three suite mates, and we have had a blast. From teaching Madi how to say country words, to going to church together, there have been very few dull moments (most of which included studying...BORING).

What I've learned so far: you can find common ground with anyone. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find it, but if you can find the common ground and learn to appreciate the differences, and not just with the people you're living with, but with anyone you meet, your experience will be great.