What will my roommate be like in first year?

Honestly, it is hard to comment on the nature of the roommate that you will be getting, but I can safely say that they will be one of your first best friends of your college life. In your first year, roommates will be allotted based on roll numbers, which is considered to be a fair practice, the hostels being Mandakini for boys and Swarnamukhi for girls. The rooms are well-lit and have good ventilation. First-years and second-years will be allotted double- or triple-sharing rooms. The rooms are spacious with a fan, a tubelight and a bed for each student. Enough cupboard compartments are also available in the room as per occupancy. A number of charging points are available in the room with LAN ports for each student, to avail the internet.

Having a roommate, especially in the first year helps you shed your insecurities by bonding with someone. While freshers are allotted rooms and roommates by the hostel authorities, they can choose to have another roommate in the second year. Your roommates will be the first people you wake up to see in the morning, while most of the time they would be the ones to wake you up. You figure out things as a group, explore the campus, be curious, answer each others’ doubts, hear each others’ stories, gossip late nights, binge-watch shows together, have fights, copy assignments, etc. You do it all together. They comfort you when you are down, and you are expected to do the same. At times it might be hard initially to get along as some of them turn out to be introverts (including you). But once the barrier is broken (and it will be), there is no turning back.

The shared living experience instils discipline as it is your responsibility along with your roommate to keep your room neat. You take turns and clean the room, after sharing expenses and buying room essentials. Roommates are a great help when you fall sick; they get you medicines and food, and if things get out of hand, inform the concerned people and accompany you to the Institute hospital. Having a roommate gives you a first-hand experience of negotiating differences and making small adjustments to make them feel comfortable. Having a roommate who understands you can go a long way in keeping your mind healthy as well.

In order to build a bond with your roommate, you can choose to decorate the room together, making it your “own” space, you can buy snacks collectively and binge on them while watching a movie on a weekend together in your room or in the OAT. You can go to dinner with your roommate and other friends, thus helping them make new friends as well. You can order in and have food together. As time progresses, you get used to borrowing each others’ clothes and things. Your roommate can become your study partner who explains things you don't understand and learns from you. You can visit other friends’ rooms together for casual chit-chat. Having a roommate who has good chemistry with you and shares common interests may make your first year a smooth ride. If you get a roommate whose interests are different, you may learn something new from them.

The roommate culture is truly amazing because when no one else is there, all you have got is each other’s back. They are your first family here and most likely will go on to be best friends for life.

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