Living With Your Best Friends

The question of whether you should live with your best friends is something every girl wonders at one time or another during college. I’ve had people tell me to not live with my best friends because it would be a huge mistake and we would all hate each other by the time our lease is up. It’s totally scary to take the step towards living with your best friends when people have shared their terrible experiences with you.

This is my first year living with my best friends and I can honestly say this… it is legit the best thing ever!

I absolutely love living with my friends. It has been the most amazing and rewarding experience. I am grateful we all get along so well, because I know many people lose friendships when they live with someone.

I am a senior now, but I actually didn’t always have the great living situation that I have now. Despite having lots of friends, it ended up working out in a weird way that in my sophomore and junior year I actually lived with completely random people. I never became friends with the people in my apartment, and honestly hardly ever talked to them. 

Living with complete strangers was an interesting experience, to say the least. It was hard to have people in my personal space that I didn’t like, and I knew didn’t like me. I learned a lot about myself during this time because I was spending more time alone. 

Finally, the time came when I got to move in with my best friends, and now it’s crazy to think that it wasn’t always like this. Not a day goes by that my housemates and I don’t have a good time. We are constantly doing things together, having long discussions, and making each other laugh. 

There are definitely some things I have learned that are key to keeping your friendships strong when you live with your best friends. The first is that communication is essential. You have to be open and honest with your best friends. If they are bugging you or not doing their fair share of chores, tell them. They will appreciate your bluntness if you put it nicely. 

I’ve also learned that it is key to let people have alone time. My housemates and I love to be with each other 24/7, but sometimes we need a break. Whether the break means doing homework or just watching TV alone, people need their personal space every so often. 

One last thing that I think is important to share is that your friendship will be different the moment you start living with someone, and that is okay. For me, my friendships got even better when I moved in with my housemates, but they still changed from what they used to be, and it’s good to recognize that. 

I adore my best friends and living with them has only improved our relationships with one another. Living with them has made me happier than I have ever been in college and I feel so blessed to have them so involved in my life. Graduating this year will be harder than I ever expected because I am not ready to separate from the girls that made college memorable. 

I wish everyone can have a similar experience and that they love living with their best friends just as much. You only get three years in college to live with them, so take advantage of it!

• campus life
• friends
• friendship
• lifestyle
• roommates