The Pro's and Con's of... Double Rooms

College is a truly unique experience. There is nothing else like it. You live with a group of people who are within four years of your age, you eat food cooked by someone you don't know for every meal and you go to classes as haphazardly as your self-designed schedule permits. With dorm living, there is always a bit of uncertainty, especially when it comes to roommates.

For your first year on campus, you are likely to be placed in a tiny room with someone you've never met. It really is a crapshoot. Some people find their best friend and confidant in a roommate. Others face off against Satan. Here are a few tips for dealing with your new roommate and finding tranquility and peace of mind.

Before you even step foot in your dorm room, you should have talked about the bare essentials with your roommate. Who is bringing the television/microwave/fridge? What are you going to share, and what are you going to each need to bring? What are the ground rules on significant others or friends spending time in the room? Work together to lay down the foundation for how you expect to treat one another.

The biggest thing to remember when first dealing with a roommate is that he or she is in the same boat as you. Your new roommate is new to the campus, he doesn't know anyone, he is likely overwhelmed and he is ready to explore this new lifestyle. If you hit it off right away, that's great. But if your new roommate seems shy, scared, anxious or depressed, don't assault him with over-aggressive kindness. Give him some room and slowly try to build up a list of interests you have in common. Maybe you both like a particular television show, or maybe you have the same course schedule. Start small and let it blossom. If you're a social butterfly who makes friends quickly, invite him along and help him integrate.

From here, the relationship can turn any number of ways. You might slowly become good friends. You might never speak to one another. You might grow mutually resentful of one another, or you might even consider moving out halfway through the year. Anything can happen. Regardless of what happens, here is a list of the pro's and con's of a double room.

PROS

• In a double room, you share everything including responsibility. Vacuuming and cleaning aren't on one person's shoulders.
• You'll always have someone around to talk to and interact with. This is a huge plus if you're a fan of video games, gossip or power in numbers.
• If you can live with someone in such a small space for so long without going off the deep end, you'll be a better person in the end. It takes a lot of compromises, disagreements and growing up to successfully master life with a roommate.
• Even if you don't get along, you're likely to find someone else who doesn't particularly care for his or her roommate either. After all, misery loves company.
  

CONS

• If you don't get along, there's nowhere private to retreat. It's a matter of waiting it out and being a bigger person.
• You have to share nearly everything, including personal space. If you're a solitary person, the transition is far from easy.
• Roommates can be friends, but sometimes even friends fight. Little quirks like insomnia, late-night study habits and annoying laughs can instigate major problems.
  

As you can see, living with a roommate definitely has its ups and downs. In my opinion, it all depends on your individual situation. My freshman year, I lived with someone who was rather quiet and reserved, and though we didn't fight, we didn't talk or particularly get along. Next year, though, I'm excited to live with my best friend.

Try your best to make life with a roommate livable, and in the end, you'll likely have a great friend coming out of the process. It's completely worth it.