<p>I thought that my roommate stuff for college was all worked out...but apparently it's not. See, my college has "learning communities" which are basically groups of people in the same major or with similar interests who live and take classes together. I want to be in the nursing learning community, but I want to live with my friend who's a bio major. Earlier in the year, we discussed that this was a problem, but she said that she looked into it and we could room together in the learning community if it was okay with her (which it is). Well there was a post on the college's website for the class of 2013 saying we should hear our roommates by mid July, and I asked the question of how certain it was that we would get our requested roommate. So, I went back to check to see if there was a response, and there was:</p>
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I notice that your requested roommate is not in Nursing, therefore, not in the Nursing learning community. You and she should talk about what is more important for both of you -- you have options. You can request to live together in another location (and Res Life makes every effort to honor your reciprocal request to live together), but you would not necessarily be living near the nursing students who decided to reside with each other.
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<p>Ugh!</p>
<p>So now I have to find out which is true...and if what I quoted is true, then I've got a major problem. I feel equally strongly about being in the learning community and rooming with my friend. I chose the way I did because I thought I could have the best of both worlds. I don't know what I'll do if I have to choose one over the other. I mean, there are definite pros and cons to both...but seriously? I've met a bunch of nursing students, and I could see myself rooming with a couple of them so I guess if I chose that it wouldn't be all bad, but rooming with my friend would be so much better because I know and love her and we work together so well! </p>
<p>If you were in my situation, what would you do? What do you think I should do?</p>
<p>Honestly, I think rooming with a high-school friend your freshman year is a big mistake 95% of the time. Living with someone is very different from just being friends. I’ve heard of situations where rooming together destroyed friendships. Just because you get along well as friends doesn’t mean you’ll be able to live together comfortably. And besides, often, rooming with a friend keeps you from meeting new people because you still have your “safety blanket”.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you are really certain that the arrangement with your friend would work well, that would be one less thing to stress about your freshman year.</p>
<p>As for a learning community… some people love them, some don’t. If you’ve really thought it through and are sure you want this (to live in a dorm where EVERYONE takes the same classes, and so conversations will probably always digress to that. AKA you won’t meet as diverse a group of people), then I would pick the learning community.</p>
<p>Either way, you’d better let your friend know of your decision soon… this has a lot to do with her, too!</p>
<p>I’ve posted all this info on my friend FB page and am waiting to hear back from her.</p>
<p>I’m 100% sure that rooming with my friend would work out. I realize that it’s much different than just being friends, but we’re super close. We’ve had classes together all day, done theater together (and in theater you basically live with the cast and crew, they become your family), and our personalities mesh well together. Everyone we’ve told that we’re rooming together is like <em>jealous!</em></p>
<p>Also, neither of us are shy people, so we’ll definitely meet others. I mean, in my case, I’ll spend most of my time with other nursing students because even if I’m not in the learning community, most of our classes will be at the same time. And then there’s the study groups and stuff that I’m sure I’ll join…and that’s one of the reasons that rooming with my friend would be great, to get a break from all nursing all the time.</p>
<p>don’t live with high school friends once you get to college. don’t live with high school friends once you get to college. don’t live with high school friends once you get to college.</p>
<p>Everything savs said about it is true, x1000.</p>
<p>I would room with my best friend in a heartbeat but I’m not going to be a freshman and I had a really crappy experience with the random roommate thing last year so I suppose it is different.</p>
<p>I feel like if I do choose the nursing learning community over rooming with my friend, I’ll end up being great friends with her. I’ve met like 10 of the nursing girls (and there are 45 of us total), and we’re all super similar and had a great time together, especially 6 of us…but nursing all the time might be too much…and I know that my friend and I would work great together.</p>
<p>I think it’s different after freshman year… you already have your group of friends, and though it’s never a bad thing to make new ones you won’t really be isolating yourself by rooming with a friend. In fact, I’m pretty sure most people do room with friends as upperclassmen.</p>
<p>You ought to go with the Learning Community. Your friend will still be able to make frequent visits to your dorm room, and you two can flourish in your respective fields. </p>
<p>Although most feel that their highschool friends are going to be easy to live with, it usually isn’t the case. Prevent the risk of falling out with your best friend due to a living arrangement. Remember, sometimes friends don’t make good study buddies, group partners, or roommates! At the worst, if you are not fond of your Learning Community dorm, you could alter your roommate/room through Residential Life. </p>
<p>Not only would a Learning Community provide quick access to study partners, but also it forces social interaction with a potential new best friend. Really consider the benefit of living a life separate during your first year–room together a different year.</p>
<p>Oh…P.S.: I know you’ll want a break from thinking of nursing, but that’s what best friend visits are for. What’ll happen when you want a break from your best friend?! ;)</p>
<p>What you hear about dorming with a friend is NOT always true. I roomed with my best friend this past year and we’re still close friends. It just depends on the people and how well you cooperate with one another.</p>
<p>In your situation, do what makes you feel comfortable. It works both ways. If you room with your friend, there’s no reason that you can’t meet someone who lives in that dorm. You can then learn more about that dorm and about nursing by talking to other people who live there and interacting with them while still living with your friend. If you ever feel the need to get away from your friend, you can just go to that other dorm and vice versa if you were to live in that nursing dorm. I say talk to your friend, tell her how you feel and come to an agreement. There’s no reason you can’t have it both ways, albeit not the way you first planned it out :)</p>
See, I do already have a group of friends. We met at orientation. Most of them are nursing students, but there are a couple who are other majors. We talk a lot on FB and are planning on hanging out over the summer.</p>
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Le Moyne College. It’s in Syracuse, NY.</p>
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<p>See, no. At my college, it’s actually quite hard to change roommates…and basically impossible if you’re in a learning community.</p>
<p>And my friend would be way less intense than the learning community because there won’t be more than 2 classes we’d have together (and the likelihood of that is pretty low anyway), and with the LC, most of my classes would be with mostly nursing students that I lived with. Since I’m going to be spending most of my time for 4 years with the same 45 people, it might be really nice to have some away time.</p>
<p>So my friend called today and then called me to tell me what happened.</p>
<p>She talked to the woman who told me that I couldn’t room with my friend if I wanted to be part of the nursing learning community. What’s going to happen is the woman is going to try and see if we can be put on the same floor as the learning community, but not take up one of the rooms designated for it since in the hall it’s every other room. She said there’s no guarantees and to check back on Monday, but at the very least, we can be put in the same dorm as the learning community.</p>