By Jacob Peller, Staff Writer

Published Nov. 5, 2014

Being a senior, I look at a lot of what goes on around campus as business as usual.

Recently, I realized that this is the result of four years of conditioning by this university that drilled it into my thick skull that I should think like the “typical college student.”

For instance, during my freshman year I was shocked by the sheer number of crime reports on Tate Street.

These days, however, I find myself morbidly comfortable with the acceptance of all the things that go on around the campus, including those disturbing crime notifications.

Of course, there are plenty of things that occur on campus that we are never really warned about.

We are just flung headfirst into these problems where we can only hope that we’re one of the flexible ones able to survive and prosper.

One thing that I remember most vividly about freshman year was learning how to live with a complete stranger, or as we tend to call them, a roommate.

Going into your first year of college, you think you’re prepared for everything.  Maybe you bought your books ahead of time, or perhaps you even bought a whole kitchen’s worth of supplies so you can make meals for yourself.

But, sadly, the one thing that I feel we are never given any preparation for is learning how to live in a small space with someone you hardly know.

Now, this being my last year, I look at this as a non-issue.

Roommates are just people who happen to live within your own personal bubble.  But, I understand (and have heard) that way too many freshman who comprehend why they have to live with someone they hardly know.

For that reason, I will make a simple list of why freshmen, and anyone else out there wondering why, that this is truly for your benefit, whether you see it or not.

College is the age of transition, you leave the life you knew behind and begin anew. Life suddenly becomes more malleable, and with that, more challenging.

Yet, at its core, college is trying to prepare you for the years ahead where any semblance of a safety net is removed.

Many students who go to college most likely leave the majority, if not all, of the ones they called friends behind in their hometowns.  This radical replanting often results in a social distancing for other students.

With that in mind, the school implements its first of many tactics.

By placing you in a room with another person, you are essentially forced to interact with others. I have heard many people say that they don’t like their roommate, or that they don’t trust them, or that they are even afraid of them.

I don’t find this surprising in the least bit.

Of course, we all want to get along with everyone because it’s what we’re conditioned to do as humans.

But bad matches are common. In fact, what you might not realize is that even when your roommate is a bad match, they are still doing what the school wants; they are helping to break you out of your inner shell.

Whether this opens you up to actually befriending them, or in the worst case, you come to blows with each other, you have now begun the process of learning how to deal with these individuals that you will interact with every day for the majority of your young adult life.

With that being said, there are some important things to remember when you are faced with living with someone you don’t know; mainly, you must understand that communication is key.

You can complain to your classmates all you want about how your roommate eats your food or touches your things, but that will not solve the issue.

If you have a problem with them, tell them.

The only thing that resolves issues like this is making your stance on the matter clear; saying nothing can be perceived in many different ways, such as ignorance, acceptance, or apathy.

By telling them exactly how you feel on the matter you remove any chance of a miscommunication. More often than not, this simple action will solve the problem at hand.

Let’s remember, roommates are not generic villains who only want to tie you to the train tracks as that “choo choo” sound is reaching its climax. They are, indeed, a person; and probably a person just like you.

Now, if it turns out that your roommate is intentionally being an ass and talking to them doesn’t solve the issue, then you need to go to your RA; do not go to your classmates, or your friends, or Facebook.

These avenues of anger can’t help solve your problems; instead you should leave it to the people who were trained on how to deal with these issues.

However, with all of this negativity and paranoia, I do have some good news: in the end, you’ll survive.

You will find that roommate who you can connect with, whether that means being best friends or simply accepting their presence.

Looking back, I can safely say that roommate drama is childish squabble, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand where you’re coming from.

After all, I was there once, too.

So heed my advice and try to get along. You have years to make it work, so don’t give up during the first semester.

Ideally, your roommates should be your closest confidants, the kind of people you can rely on.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll see that they can become true friends.