The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    What makes a good roommate?

    For some students, starting college also means moving away from home. Depending on your financial situation, you might have to live with a roommate. As bad as you might think that sounds, it can be a great experience for you.

    I understand that there are bad roommates who don’t pull their weight. In September of 1776, Benjamin Franklin and future president John Adams were sent to Staten Island to negotiate on possibly ending the American Revolutionary War. On their way, they had to stop to sleep and share the same bed. Both men argued since Franklin preferred to sleep with the window open based on his theory of colds, while Adams wanted to sleep with the window closed to not get a cold, so, even our founding fathers were bad roommates, which is why the best roommate to have is a likeminded roommate. Someone who has the same values and is just as responsible as you are.

    The best thing that happened for me was when I decided to live on campus by myself in Zachary Taylor. My experience there was not the best, but I learned a lot about myself, like how I handle being alone and the way I want my dorm room to look. Also, I learned about my sleeping habits. Living by myself taught me about the roommate that I needed and what type of roommate I would be to someone else.

    When I finally did move to a different dorm with a roommate, he was the best one I could have had because he and I were a lot alike. There were some differences, but we both compromised to make it work out. We respected each other’s privacy and didn’t touch each other’s things without permission. Taking care of the room was both of our responsibility, and we understood that.

    Compromising is something that you are going to have to do with your roommate at some point, especially if you both have two different personalities, but it’s honestly what a good roommate does. I’m not talking about allowing your roommate to dirty up the room or forcing your roommate to become germaphobic, but, something as simple as getting your homework finished earlier so that you and your roommate can get some sleep or not constantly bringing people to the room.

    Enjoy your time getting to know a person who is different than you or like you. Because in a way they are helping to shape you into the person that you will be when you leave college. Hopefully, you make the best of your experience and take anything and everything that you can learn from it.

    Leave a Comment
    Donate to The Lion's Roar
    $600
    $1000
    Contributed
    Our Goal

    Your donation will support The Lion's Roar student journalists at Southeastern Louisiana University.
    In addition, your contribution will allow us to cover our annual website hosting costs.
    No gift is too small.

    Donate to The Lion's Roar
    $600
    $1000
    Contributed
    Our Goal

    Comments (0)

    Comments and other submissions are encouraged but are subject to The Lion's Roar Comments and Moderation Policy. All views expressed are those of the author and should not be interpreted as the views of The Lion's Roar, the administration, faculty, staff, or students of Southeastern Louisiana University.
    All The Lion's Roar Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *