by Lucius Trae

Created on: April 13, 2010

It's going to depend on the person, ultimately, whether they will be better off having had a roommate or not. Having had a roommate in my first year, I can't see how having a roommate provides more pros than cons. Generally, you're matched with a roommate according to specific criteria or random draw.

I ended up with a roommate from another country. I have friends from other countries so that wasn't a problem, but we didn't have much in common. Furthermore, ever worry about someone looking over your shoulder when you're reading or on the computer? Whenever they are in the room, it will feel like that. Generally, you'll be in a closed space where if you're anything like me, you will be incredibly uncomfortable. It doesn't matter if it's my best friend. I don't want to be stuck in a room with them for long periods of time.

You can go somewhere else, of course, but where does someone ultimately go to relax and escape from the business of life. They generally have somewhere in their home where they can escape and guarantee they won't be bothered. You're limited in this respect and although you can arrange it with your roommate, who wants to negotiate for the ability to have some alone time?

The entire amount of talking I did with my roommate was probably less than a couple hours. We were just annoyances to one another, quite frankly. It was nothing about our personalities. We just had a common human trait in our love of personal space. He did snore, which was a huge pain. I ended up getting earplugs which aren't exactly fun to sleep with, and they often made me not hear my alarm. It was unpleasant trying to sleep with that alone. Then you have issues where you don't want to sleep at the same time. It's hard for me to sleep with a light on, even if it's a computer screen or reading lamp.

People picture the energetic roommate who drags you off to all the activities and acts as your personal university mentor. They are new just like you, and that those type of people are a huge minority. Very few people naturally jump into social situations and, at the same time, push others into them. Being social in university is a skill you have to work on yourself. A roommate isn't going to make your friends for you. As I found out, you can have a roommate you rarely talk with.

And if you end up with a significant other, that's another inconvenience. Even if you don't, you end up having to plan any sexual activities around the existence of a roommate. It's a complete nuisance

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