<p>Everywhere I go it seems that people keep saying that it's best NOT to room with a friend from high school or else it may ruin your relationship with them. However, my question is why does that happen? Is it because you suddenly realize your preferred living conditions do not match with what your friend wants? Does anybody have firsthand experience why this happens exactly? </p>
<p>I have been wondering because I actually know a few kids from my school who went off to the same college and roomed with each other, and get this, most still actually still get along with each other! The only ones I know that did not get along was a pair of boys who, though they were stand partners in the high school band and got along okay, barely even talk to each other now, but that's because one of them is literally spoiled, has been babied by his parents, and doesn't know how to be a good roommate. So far, I've heard no major complaints about my friends rooming with each other, but advice from others seems to contradict what I've been seeing sometimes...</p>
<p>Not in college, but a high school senior, so disregard my advice if you want.</p>
<p>One reason why it isn’t wise to room with a friend from high school is that it can prevent you from communicating with the different types of people there will be in college. Especially, if in high school, Person A and Person B were so close-knit. </p>
<p>Another reason (related back to your previous point), one could get sick of seeing that person, every, single, day. </p>
<p>But if Person A and Person B are able to tolerate each other’s faults and still spread themselves out to new groups, then let them live together.</p>
<p>But, from what I hear, no matter if one meets new people in a new setting, never let go of old friends. They will always have your back. </p>
<p>Like I said, I’m a high school senior, so my advice could be moot compared to someone who knows way more about this than I do.</p>
<p>Your odds of being friendly and compatible with your roommates are much better if you were already friends before. </p>
<p>BUT the roommate situation will probably take a toll on your friendship. You can still be friends, just maybe not as good friends as you would be if you had separate rooms.</p>
<p>But do you really want to be around these people all the time?
Say you take all the same classes, eat meals together, go to the gym/club together, AND you live together…wouldn’t you get tired of that? Besides, all friends fight at some point or another. If you have a roommate, it’s possible that you have someone else to rant to. You also end up sometimes expanding your world view and discovering new things with a roommate you don’t know. Stupid example: my roommate got me into Mike Posner and Japanese potato salad. Never would have listened to his music or discovered the potato salad if it weren’t for her and I feel like my life is 1000x better for having found them;)</p>
<p>I would say it rarely works. It’s really better off to room with people who you aren’t best friends with. You get tired of each other really fast.</p>
<p>^ It really varies case-by-case, but generally speaking, I think I agree with you. I wouldn’t room with someone I knew from HS, because I really don’t know what they’d be like in college (people change). However, I currently live with my best friend at school (who I met at the beginning of freshman year) and things work very well almost all of the time.</p>
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<p>I had to laugh at this because it describes me and my roommate too well.</p>
<p>I roomed with one of my best friends from high school this freshman year. Worked out real good. We never had any arguments and knew each others likes and dislikes. In my opinion, it was worth it because I didn’t have to worry about dealing with a person that I didn’t know and whether we would get along. Also I didn’t have to worry about my belongings, I have a lot a trust in my friend.</p>
<p>My older sister roomed with her best friend and they realized that they just weren’t compatible (my sister’s a neat freak and her friend wasn’t), but still remained friends and just decided not to room together next year.</p>
<p>I’m a high school senior, but I think that college is about exploration and meeting new people, so you might as well have the college randomly assign you a roommate. This doesn’t mean your high school friend and you cannot remain friends and hang out.</p>
<p>Agreed with the comments above. College is a time to explore, and you really should make the best of it by leaving your high school life at home. It’s a new chapter, so drop all the baggage from high school and start afresh. Of course, you should still hang out with your best friends from high school, but keeping the clique or rooming is going too far.</p>
<p>That said, I know of several people who roomed with their best friends in high school with no issues. In fact, most people should have no issues rooming with most other people as long as they both handle matters like adults.</p>
<p>I roomed with best friend from high school and it was great. We had different majors and different courses so there was no competing involved. There was a huge relief in knowing who were rooming with and knew what to expect. Overall easier for me adjusting to college. Pot luck on roommates can lead to the roommate from hell–been there too. Friends anytime over that.</p>
<p>I recently asked my niece, a soon-graduating college senior, the same question. </p>
<p>My son is rooming with one of his best friends this fall as a freshman at UNC-CH (sizable student body). Both guys are mature for their age and will have different majors. Both have completely opposite but not conflicting personalities which will help each other (shy vs outgoing; gifted intelligence vs hard studier; laid back vs easily stressed). I think it will work fine since they both already know each others habits, strengths and weaknesses.</p>
<p>My niece said that in her 4 year experience HS male roommates work much better than HS female roommates. She said with the females there’s always too much “drama” brought from HS (i.e. old baggage).</p>
<p>While I do realize that college IS a time to explore and not be caved into what I know and am comfortable with, my mom and I both are concerned that I would get a very… intrusive/bothersome roommate when I head off to college. We just don’t want to have to have a roommate who steals my stuff or is a drug addict and bothers me when I try to study or sleep. I would most rather see if a person share my interest and/or living habits than have an extremely random roommate.</p>
<p>And thanks for all the advice everyone! I’ll be sure to keep all them in mind :)</p>
<p>Just as a disclaimer, I am a female, but I think in general that boys who are friends already tend to be able to room together better than girls.</p>
<p>That is a good point. Maybe it’s the fact that guys tend to be more laid back about stuff like rooming preferences and won’t cause too much drama about it? At least that’s the case for some of my guy friends at school.</p>
<p>You can be best friends in the world with someone and still be terrible roommates. It’s all about habits, lifestyle, and schedules. If you stay up late to do your homework and your friends gets up at 5 a.m. for practice everyday, things are pretty tough. If you are messy and they are neat, you will fight a lot about cleaning and whatnot. You get the idea<br>
The best thing I have found is to go on a road trip with you friend. If get along reeally well, you’ll probably be fine. If you fight about everything, probably best to find another person.</p>