Hey everyone! Welcome to new readers, and welcome back to those of you who read my introductory blog last week, I hope that at least a few of you did come back around to check out what I was all about. For my first entry of the year, I decided to write about something that many of my fellow college bound friends were at the very least apprehensive about on their way to move in day: Roommates. Those people who you, obviously share a living space with for (hopefully) the remainder of the school year. However, more importantly, they are your safety net for your first few tumultuous weeks. Providence College, like nearly every University, does a roommate survey that they send out during the early spring with your housing application, and which you are expected to fill out truthfully to assist them in picking a good roommate, or roommates in many cases.
Most parents, especially mothers (at least in my case) are very worried about roommates. Naturally so, because their children are leaving home for an extended period of time, and a parent can only hope that the people their child shares a living space with are ‘good kids’ in every sense of the word. What I can say, parents, is that while not everyone can have a perfect match, the Providence College makes a great effort to make sure your children are living with someone they’ll like. Moreover, as for the kids, remember: these could be the best friends you make at PC, so keep an open mind!
Having gone to boarding school, I had lived in a double for at least one year, so I knew somewhat to expect when I got here. I can confidently say, however, that I was blown away. My roommates, Marc and Mike, are two of my best friends here at Providence, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. While our music tastes may not always be the same, while we may not always have the cleanest room in McDermott Hall (well my area at least!) and while we are not together 24/7, they are definitely some of the coolest guys I know. Both of them are hardworking individuals, with a knack for making me laugh in very different ways, and they are both very understanding of someone like me who, even I’ll admit, is not always easy to live with, for whatever reason. But more than that, I think that the best aspect of our room is that we are all the type of person who wants to make friends, which means that we are more than willing to share our stuff, to spend time together and finally to talk through anything that might happen to us. Communication is a skill that, if you aren't already, you should work on quite a bit before you come to any college, and here at PC if you communicate well, I think you will find that your roommates are great people to live with when you give them a chance.
I find that my fast friendship with my roommates isn't out of the ordinary here at PC--it's something that I notice all around the dorm really. The people you live with become your friends, and therefore your friends become your family. And if your friends are your family, well then Marc and Mike are the brothers I always wish I had.
In the end folks, what I'm trying to get across is that you shouldn't go in apprehensive about your roommates. If you keep an open-mind, and if you are willing to communicate, you will have a great experience. Providence College goes to great lengths, from your summer questionnaire to your roommate agreements and beyond, to make sure that all of the folks who you live with are, if not your best friends, at least on the same page as you. Be ready for a great new experience, and be ready to make some new friends along the way come move-in day--I know I sure got both!