Let’s face it, we all have love-hate relationships with our roommates. I mean, look at this..
But there’s a brighter side to it! You must have exchanged some of these with your roommate:
“We should probably clean tomorrow.”
“Wake me up in 20 minutes.” A post-class nap on a Monday never hurts until you both fall asleep for three hours.
“Can you tell me if my thesis makes sense?” Midnight paper writing is hard.
As for myself, I had a terrible experience with my first roommate. I had moved to a new country and didn’t speak the local language, while my roommate wasn’t really comfortable with English. We had less than five conversations during the entire year. Funny enough, his girlfriend and I used to chat a lot, but he never spoke a word.
Why terrible though? (The Cons)
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Less privacy: Having a roommate restricts you a lot at times, and if you don’t want that (like me), don’t opt for one. If you live by yourself, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. Literally.
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Risk having problems: While having a roommate can be a rewarding experience, there are various problems that can arise. Ranging from lifestyle conflicts (studying late night) to financial troubles (not paying for shared resources/rent), it can cause major issues.
On the other hand, I have had a lot of wonderful experiences with my roommate’s. My last roommate in Hong Kong, back in 2013, was another freshmen like me. We both had roommate issues, and decided to room together for the next academic year. That was quite a risk since we were more of acquaintances when we had decided to do this.
Today, he’s one of the best friends I have ever had. We were roommates for two years (until I had to leave for Canada).
Why is it so amazing? (The Pros)
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Lonely? What’s that? You will never be lonely. And you will have enough time to be alone. It’s so perfect.
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They are a good mirror to your life: Reflection becomes a daily habit. My roommate deserves a lot of credit for the person I am today.
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They can wake you up if you’ve slept in and they know you’re running late. Reason enough?
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More help, convenience and things to eat: Roommates can help you with papers, managing your life better, and introduce you to delicacies from some amazing part of the world. What else could you want?
And many more..
From my experience, It started off really bad, but once you find a good match, it’s one hell of a ride. It’s a definite YAY from me! What’s your vote?
Cheers!
Sources:
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/20-one-liners-youve-exchanged-with-your-roommate
http://apartments.about.com/od/roommatesneighbors/a/roommatesornot.htm