Living with a built-in best friend may sound like a never-ending sleepover, but for many Rowan students, the reality of having a roommate is way more complex than it may seem.
From forming lifelong friendships to navigating the everyday challenges of college life, roommates play a significant role in the overall college experience. For many students on campus, roommates can become like a home away from home. For others, the experience can come with conflict and lessons of independence.
Sophomore psychology major Lauren O’Brien said her close relationship with her roommate has strengthened even more over the course of the semester.
“I would describe my relationship with my roommates as a harmonious contract of respect and care,” O’Brien said. “It is a silent agreement that if you need assistance, we will be there for each other, as well as being an ear to listen to the stresses of college social and academic life.”
As you can see, there are many positive aspects to having a roommate. O’Brien described some that have impacted her while living on campus.
“Positive elements of having a roommate are that you never get lonely, you get a second opinion, and you have a solid structure for a support system,” O’Brien said. “Although it is still good to get some separation.”
Many students have described how sharing this space with their roommates has helped them adjust to college living and the overall worries of doing well in school.
Sophomore music education major Katie Lamaina said her experience living on campus was one that changed how she sees sharing a space.
“It was nice sharing the experience of navigating college with someone; it made it feel less lonely,” Lamaina said. “It also kind of feels like having the sister I never got, sharing a room and coming home to talk about our days. It kind of feels like an every-night sleepover.”
Some students are very open when it comes to living with friends 24/7, while others want their own space and some privacy. Understandably so, many students realized it’s all about balance.
Junior journalism major, Alexandra Rudaya, spoke on the challenges of privacy when living with roommates.
“I think living with a roommate, the challenge of it would be, probably honestly, to be quite frank with you, being able to balance of when privacy comes in,” Rudaya said. “Sometimes you wanna have your own space, and it can be a little bit hard because some roommates are a little bit different, which is never a bad thing; however, privacy is a huge thing when you need your own alone time and also just being able to know balance that workload or that schedule time.”
For Alexandra, the advice she would give to future freshmen who may be scared, worried, or anxious about living on campus and having a roommate for the first time is to embrace new experiences.
“Just trust the process,” Rudaya said. “Everything happens for a reason, and communication is so important. Take the time to get to know them.”
Living on campus for the first time can seem intimidating. However, if you give your roommate a chance and learn and grow with them, you may be meeting the friend you’d never thought you’d have.
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