University and Roommates

Good Saturday Morning, I am far too young to be waking up before noon on
what looks like a beautiful day in Sauga City. So I will be making breakfast
soon but I thought hey I want to blog .... well cause that's what
Bloggin Blodgett does.

So this morning I came across a video describing why you should not
have roommates at University or College it was amusing and somewhat
accurate. But it got me thinking (as I have a close family member off to
college soon) that everyone should have the opportunity to experience residence
just one year. The reason I say one year is because unless you are maturity
stagnant then one year along your student career path is enough.
Moving into a house, apartment with a bunch of First Year Buddies is
a whole other story.

After the first year of college is when you go from taking your studies 25 %
to fifty per cent seriously. And if you are one of the people who
made it through first year successfully and have semi-declared your
major then you are more than half way there to success.

My first year experience at Western Ontario King's College was both
the best and worst experiences of my life. There is no other way to
realistically describe the torments a young soul goes through as
they fight their way through the madness of modern college life.

College is tough to begin with. It is a point where we leave the nest
for the first time and strike close to the independence we all
yearnestly seek through our teenage years from those life interfering
creatures we call parents. From the first arrival on campus to
our emotionally mixed departure the following spring we experience
one of the big emotional roller coasters of life. This is where having
a good roommate is key. This is why I believe it is also an important
part of maturing and becoming an a grown up (cringe I'm a toys r us
kid ....) If you don't end up living with a friend even the experience
of living with someone else other than family is neither good nor bad
it is enlightening. It gives us the opportunity to experience co-existence,
an important experience in order to successfully make it both in
your jobs in the future and in marriage too. Learning to live with
another person is tough cookies. Learning how to put up with others
behaviors is even tougher and learning how to resolve conflicts
is the toughest. I was both successful and unsuccessful at this
(I think most people fall into the same category).

My first year roommate and I were cats of a different breed and this
easily became noticeable before the infamous turkey drop. Neither of
us were bad people although I was probably more problematic than
he is the equation and I would have handled somethings very differently
now that I have a little life experience. But nevertheless even though
there were challenges between my roommate and I (see ma I remembered
my grammar) ... I have no regrets and look at the challenges more
as memories with spunk... spunk that drove me to think outside the box,
learn how to problem solve and spunk that gave me the opportunity
to find civil methods in how to handle conflict, disagreements and
"beef" as us street peeps call it. (not really from the streets)

The pranks, obnoxious drunken stuppers, and antics of the college
relationships are all small peas in the pod. And these eventually with
age will shine more as stars than as sour notes in the memories banks
of time. And your there to study anyways never forget that.

So parents do your kids a favor allow them and encourage them to
step out into the deep. The finances will work themselves out in time.
They always do. And college students go for it. Live in res and embrace
the memories and challenges they will be the most informative years
of your life.

Bloggin B