Reflections to my first-year roommate

Even though I meet the basic requirement to give roommate advice by having lived with one (second floor, AMR II), I hesitate to provide a numbered list on how to be a good one. There are generalized tips to follow that are abundantly provided on the internet, and living with roommates is a dynamic setting that requires adjusting. Having one roommate requires different behavior than having two, albeit some common themes. So to reach the universal, I’ll try to offer my particular. Take whatever lesson or detail that feels appealing. And since I love the epistolary format: 

To Jennifer – 

One of our first recognized similarities was being from towns near big cities. Other than your name, major and schedule (all of which are different from mine), and other brief interactions exchanged through Instagram, I didn't know what to expect. Even prior to getting a room number and a name, I didn’t think that much about who I would be rooming with.

The first time we sat in our respective beds and took the time to talk, the conversation was clunky. I tried to express how impressed I was at your dedication to tennis while I abstractly, probably pretentiously, explained why I brought the four books I did. I remember thinking at the end of our conversation, “Oh well, I tried,” and fully expected a distant year because of our dissimilar hobbies and academic focuses. 

However, the existence of a first impression generally implies the existence of a second, and a third and the impression you get after seeing each other’s reading week lows.

A part of me is grateful that we didn’t immediately become friends and went through orientation week largely not interacting outside our room. That meant I had the space to focus on being a good roommate and establishing boundaries. As I tried to communicate when I wanted to turn off the lights and other details that revealed their rough nature as we sandpapered an understanding between the two of us (looking back, that roommate agreement mandated by our Resident Advisor served no relevance at all), the friendship gradually appeared. Logically, life is easier if there is no awkwardness between roommates. A bit more tangibly, life is better when something happens to you and, in that moment, you know you’ll tell your roommate what happened when you get back. 

But, of course, our friendship was not built without effort. There were many things we expected that eventually fell through, such as our untouched Pinterest board. Simultaneously, the unexpected phases (microwavable popcorn, Single’s Inferno and holiday balloons) popped up and through every single one, I had such fun with you. It’s also been an honor being part of your Hopkins experience.

And how perfectly complementary it was when you finished your spring finals first and removed your fake vines and pin board, since you were the first to settle in our room in August.

Can’t wait for next year. I do feel like there is a certain rightness that you have the earliest morning class between the two of us now. You always woke up earlier than I did, even though I had that cursed 8 a.m. physics section. Most excitingly, we finally have an activity in common; I think you’ll do amazing with your new position on The News-Letter. 

See you soon, 

Grace

Grace Oh is a sophomore majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology from McLean, Va. She is a Science & Technology Editor for The News-Letter.