A typical dorm move in day for freshmen at Sam Houston can go two ways an awkward first-meeting divvying up precious room space with a stranger or an easy move in with a best friend from high school with pre-divvied room planned a year ago.

Women have some anxiety and even some fears about moving in with a stranger. I suppose we have The Roommate to thank for that one. But people always seem to forget that sometimes moving in with your friend from high school can be as problematic as moving in with a stranger.

Now I don’t mean your roomie will kill your cat, and it’s also highly unlikely the stranger will either. But even when rooming with friends, there’s the possibility for issues to spark regarding bathroom crowding, cleaning (or lack there of) and even the sleeping with or without TV problem. Leaving home to live with a friend is like having a never-ending slumber party but with drama sure to rear its ugly head.

Honestly, I knew before choosing SHSU that I’d be rooming with a stranger, and that’s how I wanted it. After years of living in the same place surrounded by the same people, I wanted to expand and dive head first into college life, starting with a “potluck” roommate.

The stress for me was from my sleeping arrangement. I sleep with the TV on and hate complete darkness or silence. While I was willing to compromise on a nightlight and the radio, I had to have both.

The Roommate really did induce some fears before I moved in. Fortunately, my roommate had similar fears. She decided to email me using the magic SHSU master email list (that I wasnt aware of), and soon after we began texting about everything to make sure neither one of us were crazy.

Moving to a new town, state, or in some cases country is scary, but it’s also exciting because of the new experiences you will have and people you will meet.

Moving in with a friend is sheltering and may prevent making new friends. Its also hard to go out without each other because one feels bad for leaving the other.

While the bathroom, cleaning, and sleeping problems will arise, compromise is easier because both just want to get along instead of win a battle with a friend.

Sam Houston allows students to pick their own room and fill out questionnaire profiles to get a basic idea of potential roommates before choosing a room.

There are also great articles online that can help roommates get to know each other. Learning to live with a stranger is a part of leaving home and is what makes it easy to become your own person.