Next weekend, I will drive down to Shawnee, Oklahoma for the first time since officially deciding that I will attend Oklahoma Baptist University there next year. I will register and choose my classes, and I will have the opportunity to find out who my roommate is and where my dorm room is.
When I filled out the housing application, I tried to make everything as accurate as possible in the hopes of eliminating any chances that my roommate and I may rub each other the wrong way. For example, I classified myself as a night person to avoid overt happiness in the morning; I believe it’s a terrible start to my day. Upon seeing that the only options for “How do you prefer to keep your room?” are “neat” or “casual,” I thought the search was over, that there was no chance I would find a roommate who would accept my habits. However, Dictionary.com defines casual as “without definite or serious intention” or “accidental,” which describes my preferences perfectly.
At the end of the application, it asks “What other information should be considered in the assignment of your housing and/or roommate?” So many possible answers flickered through my mind. Should I mention that I’m obsessed with “Gilmore Girls” and that I love “The Office?” That I enjoy opening the window for fresh air every once in awhile? That I have a tendency to be sarcastic or sardonic at times?
I didn’t write any of that. Instead, I pondered what some of my worst roommate fears are:
- she hates all my music
- she eats all my food
- she loses my stuff
- she demands that we find matching bedding (coordinated would be alright)
- she resolves herself to only studying and no relationships
The list goes on; living with someone unknown is a big risk, a step of vulnerability. But here’s to hoping that, despite all of my idiosyncrasies, we’ll click.
