<p>Also remember there are two sides, because some of these stories seem very one sided.</p>
<p>Yeh, these stories are isolated incidents. Don't believe that having a roommate will end in disaster, because most of the time it will help you get out of your shell.</p>
<p>What I'm worried about is having a roommate who comes in with his own 'high school clique' and thus, is unwilling to include me. Has that happened to anyone? </p>
<p>My situation is as follows: I'm going to school in Vienna (at an American School) and I've had some 'issues' with keeping in touch with friends back home (it's been about a year and a half). In other words, I disregarded keeping in touch with friends back home the first few months, and from then on, it's just been...awkward...trying to catch up with them. I'm worried about having a roommate who may have been my old friend or someone who is acquainted with someone I might know. I understand this may be a little confusing, and that I can fix this by renewing contact with my mates, but it's just hard for me to move past the awkwardness of my 'situation.'</p>
<p>If there's anyone who understands this and has honest advice, please reply. Thanks.</p>
<p>I really want a single for all four years... But I'll most likely get stuck in a triple. I am introverted and crave alone-time. A roommate will not show me how to be more sociable, etc... I can be really outgoing when I feel like it, but not 24/7. I know because I already have roommates. I live with five people (four from ages 18-22, and a 4 month old baby) in a small house. I really need a break. Living with them is like being at a party all the time- there's always music on, always video games being played at top-volume, always random people over, and the fridge contains cases and cases of beer. I don't know how college will be, but hopefully tamer than what I live with. Ohhh I wish I could get a single :(</p>
<p>I definitely want a Double. I'll take what I get. The way I see it, these are the type of experiences you can't pass up in life. Your roommate could go on to be your best friend. They could be just a good friend, but a person who introduces you to others that become good friends, or possibly the guy that introduces you to your girlfriend. On the other hand, they could be totally obnoxious, disgusting, dirty, etc. Maybe someone who is drunk or high all the time....just gives you stories to tell in the future.</p>
<p>Double, Co-ed, and shared bathrooms for dorms for me please!</p>
<p>I want a double, take a chance people.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I definitely want a Double. I'll take what I get. The way I see it, these are the type of experiences you can't pass up in life. Your roommate could go on to be your best friend. They could be just a good friend, but a person who introduces you to others that become good friends, or possibly the guy that introduces you to your girlfriend. On the other hand, they could be totally obnoxious, disgusting, dirty, etc. Maybe someone who is drunk or high all the time....just gives you stories to tell in the future.</p>
<p>Double, Co-ed, and shared bathrooms for dorms for me please!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Weird philosophy, but whatever floats your boat ....</p>
<p>
[quote]
I definitely want a Double. I'll take what I get. The way I see it, these are the type of experiences you can't pass up in life. Your roommate could go on to be your best friend. They could be just a good friend, but a person who introduces you to others that become good friends, or possibly the guy that introduces you to your girlfriend. On the other hand, they could be totally obnoxious, disgusting, dirty, etc. Maybe someone who is drunk or high all the time....just gives you stories to tell in the future.</p>
<p>Double, Co-ed, and shared bathrooms for dorms for me please!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's true. For as many horror stories that exist, there are likely just as many stories of people who met their new best friend.</p>
<p>My friend moved in with 4 guys he didn't know and they are now very good friends.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Weird philosophy, but whatever floats your boat ....
[/quote]
It's not weird, it's called courage. Say what you will, but saying "I don't want to take the chance of getting a roommate who is weird/already popular/creepy/whatever is so safe and so defies the reason we go to college in the first place (to broaden horizons and whatnot) that you're defeating the purpose.</p>
<p>Single room
pros:a lot
cons:You have to pay more for single room.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It's not weird, it's called courage. Say what you will, but saying "I don't want to take the chance of getting a roommate who is weird/already popular/creepy/whatever is so safe and so defies the reason we go to college in the first place (to broaden horizons and whatnot) that you're defeating the purpose.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Sorry, but I'm going to have to agree with Xanthom on this.</p>
<p>Having to put up with a roommate you hate for a whole year is not courage. It's annoying, and STRANGE if you enjoy it for the sake of having more rubbish stories to tell to whoever will make the effort to pretend to be interested in them.</p>
<p>What exactly do you mean by "broadening horizons"? That's what you do throughout your entire life, not just college.</p>
<p>The ultimate reason for going to college, at least for any person with common sense, is to earn a degree, and - if that person is going onto graduate/law/medical/business school, to maintain a GPA and test score that are sufficiently high enough to allow admission into the desired school of choice.</p>
<p>Perhaps I was waxing Romantic when I made my last post, but if a more pragmatic approach is what you're looking for (as it obviously is, judging from your emphasis on college as a means to an end), then being forced to live with a roommate that you despise will at least give you people skills that can help you in the workplace. Everybody has a boss that they hate (I know I do), and if you know how to deal with said boss in a constructive manner, then you're ahead of the game.</p>
<p>Besides which, the point of college is not to get a degree (unless you're an engineer), because most people with a Bachelor's degree will tell you that a liberal arts education gives you no actual work skills. It's supposed to give you critical thinking skills that will help you no matter what field you go into; if, indeed, a liberal arts education is not really giving you skills that will help you directly in the workplace, then I feel that the people skills that can be gained by being forced to cooperate with people who continually frustrate you would be some of the few practical things that could help you when you graduate.</p>
<p>It seems a lot of people on here don't seem to think social skills are quite as important as they are. When you are applying to grad schools, you have to interview.. and they interview to weed out the losers with absolutely no people skills. Living with a roommate you hate would suck, but I'd still risk it to have a roommate you really like. Especially if you go in not knowing anybody, its nice to be able to go out to the parties with at least one other person instead of roaming around alone (although its not always that bad).</p>
<p>I gotta say, my roommate and I barely speak to one anohter. Like, maybe 100 words a week, and that's a good week. I don't think I'm developing any valuable people skills by coexisting with her. </p>
<p>I guess it depends on your personality. I'm an introvert - I NEED time to just be alone and recharge, which is very hard when you live in a 14 x 10 swuare with someone else. It just isn't right or healthy for me.</p>
<p>I think I'm just some sort of hybrid lol, I like being around people and I think a roommate is much better, but at the same time i'd rather travel alone and I like doing a lot of things alone.</p>
<p>I think that the whole deal about the roommate automatically being your 'best friend' is a bit overrated. My roommate and I are almost completely opposite of one another, and barely talk. I know a few people in similar situations. However, in most of these cases (as in mine), each person eventually developed their own circle of friends.</p>
<p>Based on my first year of college, I can say this with confidence: If you are reasonably likable and willing to make an effort in meeting new people, you don't really need a roommate to make this happen. On the other hand, if you are someone who doesn't like to leave the room and isn't willing to socialize, having a roommate probably won't remedy this situation.</p>
<p>"I think I'm just some sort of hybrid lol, I like being around people and I think a roommate is much better, but at the same time i'd rather travel alone and I like doing a lot of things alone."</p>
<p>Same with me, I am pretty popular and stuff but I just rather be by myself a lot of times. A lot of people don't really understand it.</p>
<p>Also, doubles are a lot cheaper than singles!</p>
<p>"Also, doubles are a lot cheaper than singles!"</p>
<p>Thinking through logic is better then basing it on your emotions which change day to day.</p>