The Benefits of Revolving Roommates

by Author Name

It was the summer leading up to my freshman year of college when I started to wonder who was going to be assigned as my random roommate. Unlike a coin toss, the Housing and Residence Life Offices at Christopher Newport request that all incoming freshmen take a survey to gauge each student’s study habits, sleeping behaviors, room cleanliness preferences and other things of that nature. This allows for students to get paired with other students whose lifestyles are compatible with one another. All thanks to Christopher Newport, I was assigned two very sweet and goofy suitemates and a roommate who, shortly after we met on move-in day, became one of my closest friends.

Sophomore year came along, and I found myself rooming with a new roommate I had met only once before. It was my new suitemate who brought the four of us together in our four-person suite, knowing that we would get along perfectly. And she was right! I became great friends with all three of them. In fact, the other suitemate, who I had not met until that year, ended up moving with me to our new on-campus apartment the following year.

It was junior year that I lived with my sophomore year suitemate, her best friend and a new random roommate. And once again, new friendships were made. My random roommate became a really close friend of mine and we chose to live together this year, my senior year, with two new random roommates, who are both amazing people.

Living with different roommates and suitemates over the past four years and learning from their experiences and passions has opened my eyes about the world. Two of my roommates are involved in a sorority. Two of my roommates studied abroad. One of my roommates is from another country. Three of my roommates love Harry Potter (four if I include myself!). One of my roommates wants to be a social worker while another wants to be a doctor. While it may not be typical to have a revolving door of roommates each year, there are so many stories and experiences that I have come to share with each of them. And the friendships that have formed along the way are even more valuable.