Evan Peskin, Contributing Columnist
During freshman year, most students are randomly assigned a roommate. Whether they know who their roommate is or not, students go through the same thought process.
Will my roommate like me? What will they be like? Will they go out with me? What if they don’t drink? What if they drink too much? What if I bring a “guest” home? One million questions rush through your head, but the truth of the matter is, roommates are the beginning, and basis of, interacting with people for the rest of your lives.
Not every set of roommates will get along; that’s just the cold hard truth. Maybe you like the room at different temperatures; maybe you like chocolate and they like vanilla; maybe you root for Arsenal and he’s a Manchester United fan. Whatever the case, it’s a sure thing that eventually during your time together you will disagree over something. The important thing is just being civil and compromising. If you ignore an issue long enough, it will just build up until you two are screaming at each other about who forgot to turn off the TV.
I have been lucky enough to have two awesome roommates for the past two years, and being friends with your roommate is a blessing. Take advantage of always having a friend around! You’ll never be lonely in the dining hall, you’ll always have a wingman to pick up those lovely ladies, and you’ll always have someone to pat you on the back and laugh as you throw up that evening’s drinks.
Having a relaxed and easy-going roommate is a blessing. As I sit here typing out this article at five in the morning, the computer’s monitor lights up the room and my roommate is passed out completely. He’s just letting me do my thing, even though he has early class. Rather than bug out and yell at me to stop typing, he simply rolled over and went to sleep. Great guy.
So the moral of this article is simple: realizing that you might not have the exact same schedule and preferences as your roommate doesn’t mean you two can’t become each other’s best mates. Make those compromises, back each other up, and soon enough you won’t even be able to sleep without the sound of them snoring in the background.
YOUniversity of Miami is a column taking a closer look at the many people that make UM their home.