False Assumptions

Before coming to college, I had made many naпve assumptions about Binghamton University. What if my roommate didn't like me? What if we have nothing in common? I thought long and hard about what my tiny dorm room would look like and had countless nightmares about sharing a communal bathroom. However, after arriving here, the experiences that I've made have altered my thoughts on college.

My older brother, a junior here at Binghamton University, has had his fair share of bizarre roommates. When he was a freshman, he got stuck rooming with a junior that was clinically depressed. He would stay up late cursing, throwing things, and rambling on about how his life sucked. He even told stories about how he tried to take his own life. My brother's second roommate was even worse. He had really bad hygiene and apparently smelled like a mix of ketchup and onions.

This year, he has a roommate that's hygienic and isn't clinically depressed, but likes to sleep really early. 9:00 pm early. It wouldn't be too much of a problem if he didn't have a condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder where your breathing stops or gets very shallow while sleeping. This causes loud snoring and choking or gasping. My brother is easily distracted by his incessant noise making and has trouble studying at night.

After hearing all of my brother's stories, I thought it would be virtually impossible to get a normal non-suicidal hygienic roommate. I was so nervous when I met her for the first time! Luckily for me, my roommate is extremely clean, polite, intelligent, and friendly. We get along great, have a lot in common, and we've already formed a strong friendship.

I've been fortunate enough not to have to share a room back home, so having a roommate is definitely a change. The entire summer while I was shopping for new school clothes, my mom constantly reminded me, "Don't buy too much, you can't fit anything in that tiny room." During orientation, I stayed in a triple with two other girls. It was extremely