1. "Roommate" does not mean "friend"
This isn't to say that your roommate can't be your friend, only that the two are not, and do not have to be, synonymous. So if you and your roommate aren't Mike Gazowski and Sully, Bambi and Thumper, or Pooh Bear and Piglet, don't despair. Maybe thumper lives down the hall, and Piglet lives upstairs. And that's okay.
2. Give and Take
Having a roommate is a little like being in a relationship. There are some things that you can change, and others you just have to learn to tolerate. You'll probably find that most things will fall into the latter category. But I'll tell you from experience, it's crazy the things you'll miss. So a good rule of thumb is treat everything and everyone like your gonna miss 'em. Because trust me, you will. I didn't think I could ever miss my roommate's alarm going off at the crack of dawn and then again every ten minutes until she'd wake up an hour later after exhausting her snooze button, but after she left, there were still mornings when I missed my nightmares that a giant fly was chasing me only to wake up to her phone buzzing on the window sill.
3. It's Just Like High School
There will be the cliques and there will be the cool kids. Hopefully by now you've figured it out. You are the cool kid and your friends are the ones who think so too. Don't try to be someone else, and don't waste all your energy trying to be part of a group where you can't be yourself and you won't be happy. If you are trying to do it all, you WILL feel left out. Find your people, stick with them, have fun and, most importantly, quite comparing how much fun it LOOKS like other people are having with how much fun you KNOW you've ACTUALLY had.
4. What! You Don't Know You Major Yet?
That is perfectly okay. It's easy to feel inferior to those who have their life mapped out, but I'll tell you a little secret, their plans will probably change about as much as yours will. The difference is some of us write our plans in permanent marker, and others write theirs in pencil. Both groups will have some erasing to do. Those who wrote theirs with sharpie, when it comes time to erase, crumple up their papers and start afresh so no one will know. Others of us choose to keep the sketch marks. I started out using a sharpie. If you asked me what I was majoring in, I could give you a minute by minute account of my future. Those plans changed a lot, but unless you had been there from the beginning, I accounted my new ones with such surety, you'd never know they weren't the original. As my plans have changed though, I've learned to embrace that they will -- not inevitably, but just enough to allow for some discovery and growth. So when someone asks you what your major is, don't be afraid to say, "I'm not sure yet." While you aren't really sure of what you want to study, the rest of us aren't studying what we're sure we really want. My suggestion, start with a pencil and a BIG eraser ;)
5. Have Fun!
No seriously. I'm not saying go party every night. Not at all. Considering, I was the nerd who sat in my room with my 4.0 for company, that would be hypocritical. I'd sooner say don't ever leave your room. But I will say, it's only after the opportunity is gone that you can see what you missed.
In the end, you're going to miss something. Either you'll miss college, or you'll miss out. Choose wisely.
In the end, you're going to miss something. Either you'll miss college, or you'll miss out. Choose wisely.
College certainly has its share of pot-holes and pit stops . . . but those hardly matter when you're flying. So spread your wings and soar.
Best of luck,
Best of luck,
Candidly,
Cookie
