One of my biggest fears/reservations/what have you about going to college in a month was my potential roommate. It being a pretty much random pairing, aside from the online questionnaire that asked whether I smoked and what section of the campus I'd like to live on, I was kinda worried. Could have ended up with a freak. The VTech dude had a roommate, didn't he?

I guess at freshman orientation, which I don't go to til next week, you find out who your roommate is and where you're living, and the kid who's going to be rooming with me had his orientation sometime last week. He called me when I was on vacation last week, and I talked to him tonight. Thankfully, he seems pretty cool. We share some interests, we worked out that I'm going to bring the stereo and he's going to bring the TV, and we're probably going to go in on a futon together for the room. He asked if I "was a partier," to which I replied yes, so I'm assuming that means he also drinks, so we'll avoid that potentially awkward clash. Yeah, most college kids drink, but you never know. So yeah, I'm not so worried anymore. Oh, and judging by the online floorplan of our dorm that they've got on the school's website, our room is bigger than average. That's cool too.

Still though, living with someone who I don't know is going to be a bit of an experience. Any RM college grads want to share some pros and cons of the experience?

I've never done this, so I'd probably be weirded out by it at first. You never know though, I know friends of mine that became really good friends with their past roommates in college. Good luck.

Just communicate and you'll be fine. And if he sucks, you can always move out. My first college roommate was the sketchiest motherfucker I ever met. During the first week of school I became friend with this other kid who's roommate never showed up so I just switched into his room.

Living with someone else out of the blue forces you to learn to deal with people in ways you may not be used to, especially if you don't like the person. It's a valuable experience. Being able to share something is really important. Me and my European roommate didn't really become friends until we started smoking together, and now we're really close.

What school are you going to?

Honestly, it's amazing how much you get to know someone with regular smoke sessions.

It's weird, because I hate cigarettes, but I smoked a few with him one time (before we were friends) just so we'd talk about some shit. It really does work wonders.

I'm pretty sure they don't take those questionnaires into account at all. I filled mine out, and got a roommate that was completely different than me, but we got along great. Partied together, smoked together, had the same group of friends, everything.

I was able to meet people at my orientation and ask one of them if they wanted to be my roommate. The guy I ended up with wasn't that much of a partier or drinker in high school but he was a cool guy and came out of his shell right away. He ended up a lot like me and we're still really good friends four years later.

I had one friend who had several roommates in less than a year. He just couldn't find someone that fit with him (mostly his fault). I wouldn't worry about it too much. Most people that I knew were able to get along pretty well with their roommates even if they were completely different. Its usually girls that have the big problems. Plus, you can always switch and once you make a lot of friends on your floor or in your dorm you'll probably spend a lot of time hanging out with other people and you won't be placing such emphasis on your roommate. If there's flaws that you don't like about him, try not to let it bother you. Going to college is a learning experience and this will probably be the best time of your life.

Ohio University.

Don't be too worried. I think majority of people have a good time with their roommate. My roommate was completely different than me, but we got along really well. Just make sure to always communicate and to be respectful because it's their place too.

my roommate freshman year was a cool dude. introduced me to all sorts of awesome music; fugazi, janes addiction, buncha other stuff. we didn't run in the same circles, but saw each other from time to time. he ended up moving out at the end of first semester because he had a buddy on first floor who had a roommate bail and his room was bigger and stuff, so i ended up the rest of the year with a solo room so that was pretty awesome.

yeah it's a weird situation to be in (rooming w/a stranger) but in the end you're both going thru the same experience of college, so you have that in common.

Yeah I guess I'm not exactly worried, even kind of excited, just a bit apprehensive at not knowing what to expect.

If you get a straight roomate, demand to change rooms. Straight people are lame, this is a fact.

The best roommate I had in college was gay. So, perhaps there is something to this.

drink heavily. drink frequently.

my freshman year college roommate is one of my best friends to this day. Thank god. Although he got pissed at me for using his computer a lot. but i think i made up i up to him for getting a chick to strip for him on his birthday.

ah college.


Also, he played piano and i played guitar so we rocked it out. he soon learned gutiar.

I had a pretty good deal with my freshman roommate. He was on the football team, which I thought would suck, but it really just ended up that he was never in the room. He'd sleep there, and I barely saw him for the first two months. Hell, I hardly spent any time in my room except for when I was sleeping or doing homework. He turned out to be a pretty cool guy, and I think I could have been friends with him, but he hated the school so much that he transferred after one semester, leaving me with a single for second semester. THAT rocked, since I had a girlfriend, and now we had a consistent place to fuck. I learned how to have sex properly that semester.

my first roommate in college is my best friend to this day. so i lucked out.

but we all understand your concerns. my freshman year, there was this big fat slob on my floor. 6 foot something. 300+ lbs. he always smelled. was always sweating profusely. would let out some nasty ass farts and laff about it. even picked his nose and threatened to wipe it on folks. the whole room smelled of everything bad in this world. if i had him for a roommate, my ass wouldve gone home on the first day...

lets hope he didnt procreate and that his son wont be a freshman at whatever college or university you are headed to this fall...

My college dorms were "quads" so there were 4 private rooms all around a central kitchen and 1 - 1/2 bathrooms. I lucked out with my roomates too, ended up living with two of them after the first year in the dorms in a house off campus. I'm still good friends with them but they don't live in the same city as I do so I don't see them much anymore.

My roommate freshman year was a preppy, rich boy Republican from Pittsburgh who managed to find himself a frat by the second or third day there. We didn't have a whole lot in common so we didn't talk a lot, but we got along alright for the most part. After that one year, he transfered to Pitt, and my roommate for my sophomore year was a guy I knew from down the hall that year.

Don't worry about it, even if you have a bad roommate, you'll still have a great time. Worry about someone jerking off in your shampoo or something like that.