We All Have That Roommate Who…
College is the first time you experience living on your own—well, for most people at least. This wonderful privilege can be a scary concept at first, but the concern of how you’re going to survive living alone goes away when you realize that you get to have roommates. Yay! Wait, but what are they going to be like? Are you going to be lucky and have roommates who double as your best friends? Or will you get unlucky and have a roommate who you can’t stand being near? Roommates can fall on opposite ends of the spectrum, but there are many different types that fall in between, as well. Here’s a list of some—certainty not all—of the different types of roommates you can have:
1. The one who’s a slob:
This roommate never cleans up after themselves. He or she cooks, but doesn’t do the dishes, or maybe they wash their dishes, but don’t put them away. They leave their food out, and it would be sitting there for days, weeks, even semesters if you didn’t say something to them or throw it out yourself. Their shoes, jackets, and other random belongings are everywhere. Their mess isn’t confined to their room, it makes its way into all of the common areas, making it appear to visitors that you’re a mess too. But, that’s not the case; you and your other roommates are actually clean people, but your unfortunate sloppy roommate clutters up this image.
2. The one who doesn’t know when to stop talking:
After the long days we experience of going to class, completing homework assignments, going to the gym, running errands, volunteering, and anything else you can name, there’s times when you just want to be alone and finally stop socializing. However, the second you walk through the door, this roommate starts talking your ear off, telling you random, pointless stories about their day or irrelevant things that happened years ago. You barely respond, hoping they get the hint, but they won’t. That’s when you have to go lock yourself in your room (if you’re lucky enough to have your own). Don’t be surprised if they follow you though, or even talk through the door. Some people just don’t get it.
3. The one who is never around:
This person technically lives with you, but you never see them. You wake up in the morning and they’re already gone and you go to bed at night and they still aren’t home. On the rare occasion that they are home, they just hibernate in their room and you don’t see them at all. You honestly forget that you live with this person and start to forget what they look like too.
4. The one who gets all the guys:
Now this can go a couple different ways, depending on if your roommate acts on the guys who are constantly showing their affection to her.
Scenario 1: You have to deal with the constant stories about how this new guy is into her, but she doesn’t know if she should go for it. You get to hear all of the pros and cons about him, and she won’t stop talking about it until the next guy comes along, then she has to talk about him too. It’s a constant reminder of how nonexistent your love life is. Ugh.
Scenario 2: A parade of guys is constantly brought in and out of your place. It’s not surprising to wake up in the morning and watch another new guy try to sneak out of your place. This can lead to some very awkward conversations, especially if you heard what they were up to last night (yikes).
5. The one who constantly owes you money:
No one likes this type of roommate. Every month you get the utility bills, knowing that it’s going to take your roommate forever to pay you back. In fact, you’re still waiting for what they owe you from last month (or maybe even multiple months). Whenever you remind them, they get defensive saying that it’s coming soon or that they’ve just been so busy that they forgot. But, when you finally get your money, it’s the best feeling in the world.
6. The one who you can’t wait until they move out:
This roommate is the one where everything that he or she does bothers you. They might be all of the types listed above, any combination, or anything else that makes you just plain hate them. This person irritates you, and you cannot wait until he or she moves out so that you no longer have to deal with all of their bad habits and annoying ways. How long until this semester is over?
7. The one who is your best friend: This is the best kind of roommate. Since this person is your best friend, you can be completely free, weird, emotional, disgusting—your true self—around them. There’s nothing better than living with your best friend. Every time you come home, you know you have someone you can share your stories with about that crazy thing that just happened to you, that cute boy who just said “hi” to you, that annoying professor who is ruining your semester, or the weird thought you just had. The amount of laughs you share, crazy nights you experience, dinners you make together, dance sessions you have, and all of the other perks that come with living with your best friend are the memories you will have forever.
Roommates are a tricky concept because you never know what a person is going to be like to live with until you’re actually living with them. I’m lucky enough to live with my best friends, and I sincerely hope everyone else is as lucky. It’s not perfect, of course—no matter who you live with, there’s going to be some conflict, but that’s just what happens when you live with someone. So, here’s to hoping that you never get stuck with that terrible roommate who makes you count down the days of living with them!
