The end of the school year is right around the corner, which means the class of 2024 is getting ready for their life after high school. 

Many of us are planning to attend a four-year university and might already be committed to a college. Some may be considering commuting to college nearby, or living on campus in a dorm or apartment. When it comes to rooming in college, getting a roommate is the best option considering the high pricing on residency.

Future college students have to be mindful of who they pick to live with for the first nine months away from home. If you are attending the same university as your best friend, you both may think it’s a great idea to room with one another.

I’m here to tell you that it’s not.

As college is approaching for me as well, I have been contemplating on either finding a roommate or just living on my own.

I remember going to the dentist one morning and my dentist asking me about my college plans. When I told her that I am going to be living on campus and some of my closest friends are living there as well, she warned me to not be roommates with anyone with whom I have a strong friendship.

She even told me a story of her own about a time she and her best friend for life decided to be roommates in college. Both ended up getting into a really intense fight and ended up hating each other for a while. Her story really set me back and made me rethink some ideas I had about rooming in college.

One of my closest friends that is now a sophomore in college shared her experience on living with two other girls that were very close friends.

“After moving in with them, they got into it pretty bad and now they don’t even speak to each other,” she told me. 

I ended up asking more people that have already had the college experience the same question: “Would you be roommates with your best friend?” Surprisingly, most people gave me the exact same answer which was, “No. You almost always will not get along in the end one way or another.”

While all this was anecdotal evidence, it definitely raised many questions. How could I possibly not be able to handle living with someone I have known personally for basically all my life? Why does this happen so frequently?

All Women Stalk is an online website that has an article and a survey listing seven reasons on why it is recommended to not room with your best friend. The main reason being a difference in personalities. It doesn’t matter how close you might be with someone, as living with them is always a different story. Everyone lives in their personal space in a different way. Some might be on the messier side while others might be more clean and uptight. 

Sometimes certain people are just meant for making memories and hanging out. Being with someone 24-7 can make you sick of each other no matter how much you may love them.

But not every roommate-friendship takes a turn for the worse because of lifestyles. Other times it may include other outside drama. Everyone’s story is different, yet they end in the same way. 

If you are planning on becoming roommates with your best friend in college, this is your time to revisit that decision or be sure you create strong boundaries with your friends to limit any tension or miscommunication.

Always remember to think deeply before making any long term decisions like this one.