Entering college for the first time is such a great feeling. No more parents or annoying little brothers and sisters. It is just you, your freedom and your apartment.
Until you meet your roommates, that is. Each of your roommates will have a different story. Some will be better than others, some funnier than others, and some, well, just plain dull.
Let’s go back two years. My first roommate lasted one day. I moved my suitcase in and she moved hers out. OK, cool. My second roommate had a fiancé and he was the only thing she did, if you catch my drift. But in this apartment, five other girls lived with us.
Coming from a household of five boys and moving to an apartment with six girls just sounds like a nightmare; not to mention we had only two bathrooms and one fridge. Fortunately for Ferris students, most first-year students will just have one to three other people to share a room with.
If you are new to campus or a transfer student, sharing is not always caring. Announcing to your roommates you will share your food is the first mistake you can make. Some people are courteous and will not eat all of your food, but then there are those who take all of your popcorn, fruit roll-ups, bread, peanut butter, toothpaste, deodorant and even the last of your milk, leaving you with nothing but an empty carton and a bowl of dry cereal in the morning.
Sharing really is no problem as long as it is mutually beneficial to all parties involved. In my experience, it never was. The problem is few remember whose food they ate or even what they ate. So here is one tip from me to you: Put your name on the food you want to keep for yourself, hide your drinks under your bed and do not take food that is not yours.
Moving along, sharing a bathroom is one of the hardest challenges I have ever faced, next to trying to fit all of my shoes in one suitcase. So if sharing a bathroom is not an issue for you, I am very jealous.
Girls like to take a long time in the bathroom. That is a fact of life. Sharing one bathroom with at least four other girls takes a lot of patience and time management. Make sure you communicate with your roomies in order to make it to class on time with a proper shower.
Now, a proper shower will be my next topic. If you have never lived with someone else (besides family) until now, it is my sadness to inform you that not everyone showers every day. Not everyone uses soap either. A former roommate of mine confessed to not using soap, as well as not washing our community dishes with soap. I almost dropped my bowl of dry cereal when I heard her confession.
Whoever you have the pleasure of sharing your current household with, please be respectful to them. Who knows, maybe your roommates will become some of your closest friends. If not, remember that roommates do not last forever, but the memories will. Live up your college life with whomever comes your way.