Room of Love

Upon entering William and Mary you can either request a roommate (that has to be mutual) or you are assigned one based on a survey you fill out. The questionnaire is incredibly generic, asking questions such as: “Are you neat or messy?”, “Do you like your room to be more a social area or study area?”, “Are you more a morning person or late riser?” I remember filling it out and freaking out that based on these seven questions alone, the College would designate a roommate that I would have to live with throughout the year.

I’ve had my luck at roommates. Freshmen and sophomore year, I roomed with Meredith from Weston, Massachusetts and a neuroscience major. We had guacamole/TV nights and played IM soccer with our hall. Sophomore year I lived with Layla, a Hispanic Studies major from Northern Virginia who, like myself, studied abroad in Spain during the spring. She is a native Spanish speaker and would teach me little phrases or quotes before bed. This year, I am living in my sorority house with Ash, an American Studies major with whom I joined Theta in the fall of our freshman year. We share an oversized bulletin board of accessories and stay up til 2:30am while Ash pretends to take LSAT practice tests and I study. (Read as: We stay up late talking about our respective days and our numerous goals for the year.)

And although traditionally the president will provide dinners for four-year roommates, I don’t feel like I’m missing out. I’d trade in that dinner for the multifaceted experiences I’ve had and girls I’ve gotten to know any day.