Dear Jess,
In the beginning of the year, my roommate and I had a lot of issues. She went to bed early, I’m an insomniac. I’m a weekend warrior and, well, she loves The Learning Channel. We’re just very different people, and before winter break, we both were secretly planning on putting NAIR in the other’s shampoo bottle. Yet, after the ultimate girl bonding shopping trip and one night of drunken debauchery, we really began to become closer. Now with the March deadline of housing approaching, my roommate and I find ourselves in a weird position. Eventually, we decided to just room together again, seeing the first semester as a learning experience.
However, I was asked very recently to room with a seemingly very compatible friend of a friend. Do I leave my previously not-so-well-matched roommate and break our verbal deal, or take a chance with someone new?
-Distressed in Digman
Dear Distressed,
Although in New York State a verbal agreement is not binding, your conscience might keep you in shackles for a very long time. I’ve heard my fair share of bad roommate experiences, and it is great that you and your roommate have both grown in directions more compatible with each other. I still find it funny how Binghamton determines where everyone should live. It was kind of shocking when I received my housing application and the main question was whether or not you smoked. They didn’t even offer the option of social smoker! Maybe something one of the SA candidates could include in his platform is a more informative random rooming selection process … anyway, back to your problem. Should you drop your recent roomie for possible greener pastures? If you have spoken to her on numerous occasions and she is pretty much relying on you, stick to your word. Taking a chance with someone new might seem exciting and the answer to your old prayers, but after living with someone for some time, you begin to pick up on their little idiosyncrasies, and that goes both ways. Maybe you aren’t so easy to live with either. Typically, I am not one to discourage change. It’s good to mix things up, try something new. But it’s not good to screw someone over.