Now that your college applications are almost done or even sent out (hint, hint), your next step is to figure out which school you’ll be attending. That means you will have to consider financial aid packages, prospective classes and majors, the size of the school, the proximity to home, the parking situation and, maybe, you’ll be considering where your friends are going too. Some of you might make your college based on your friends’ decisions. (Though we certainly don’t recommend this as the only factor to consider). And, if you do end up going to the same school as your high school friends, you’ll also have the option to choose your friends as your freshman roommates. I don’t want to persuade or dissuade you to make that choice. But let me give you the pros and cons of this particular path:
Pros:
• There is no mystery; you know exactly who your roommate will be.
• Planning what to bring is much easier when you know the other person (i.e. she can bring the TV; you can bring the fridge).
• Making friends is not a big deal when you know you already have one at school.
• There is someone you can vent to right from the start (over-sharing with a new roomie can make things really awkward).
• You know beforehand whether your music tastes are compatible (this is SUPER important).
Cons:
• You might think you know your friend better than you know yourself, but I guarantee that you will be surprised by his or her living habits (cleaning, personal hygiene, acceptable study noise, etc.)
• Your friend is comfortable with you, and also might be comfortable taking your food or clothes without asking.
• You might be so close to your roommate that you will feel no need to branch out and meet anybody else.
• There is a chance you and your friend will grow apart but will still be forced to live together.
• All the little things that annoy you about your friend? Well, there is no escape from them when you share a room.
Again, I don’t have the means to tell you guys what is best for you. There are upsides and downsides to any decision you make about dorm life and your college decision in general. But these pros and cons are factors you should know when you make your college decision or rooming decision contingent on a friend from high school.
Written by Rachel Montpelier. Rachel is a senior at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. and is the editorial assistant at NextStepU.
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