Nearly six weeks into my junior year at the University, I’ve come to a startling realization: I no longer dislike communal living.

More than that, I’ve discovered I enjoy living with three roommates in a house full of sorority sisters more than my apartment on Green Street last year. This idea that was once inconceivable in my mind is now a simple truth.

In the little over two years I’ve spent on campus, I have had a taste of almost every living option there is. 

I served my time in the dorms at Florida Avenue Residence Hall during my freshman year, eyes wide and expectations low. Even though I had friends from home going to the same college, I didn’t want to risk jeopardizing any of my relationships over an argument about messy closets or unmade beds. Therefore, I decided on a random roommate — a decidedly neutral experience.

My freshman roommate was perfectly respectful and sweet, but we never became more than acquaintances who shared a room. I recall baking dozens of cookies at my brother’s apartment and knocking on every door on my floor in hopes that one would lead to a lifelong friendship. In reality, the most I got out of it was a few pleasantly surprised “thanks.”

Despite the overwhelming amount of media that suggests otherwise, college and dorm life isn’t always the best time of a person’s life. In fact, the American College Health Association reported that last academic year, 51.5% of students scored positive for significant loneliness.

All of this said, I was unsurprisingly excited to live in an apartment for my sophomore year — I had my own room, kitchen and the ability to shower without wearing flip-flops. The rush of freedom was a refreshing change, and I never once found myself missing my old dorm. 

Even with all of these benefits, a couple of fairly decent roommates and one wonderful friend, I still felt as if I was missing out on my college experience for a good chunk of my time living there. Funnily enough, living in a constant comfort zone meant I was less likely to attend events with my sorority sisters or go out with friends when I could stay in my secluded unit instead.

I still developed meaningful relationships with my sisters, but it felt as though there was a threshold on how close we could really get before I would have to depart for the night back to my own place.

It feels as though it is a universal truth on college campuses that living in a Greek house is an expense, not an amenity of being part of the organization. However, in my time at this house, I’ve deepened my friendships and discovered facets of people I never would have known otherwise.

It isn’t a unique circumstance. With housing prices on the rise, many have turned to communal living outside of college campuses and found themselves pleasantly surprised. One BBC article found that it’s the social connection within these “intentional communities” that lead these roommates to have such a high quality of happiness in their lives.

While I have found all of this to be true, I also believe that the people who make up the environment you live in are especially conducive to whether or not you enjoy your communal living experience.

A group of roommates is not synonymous with a community. For example, one article from The New York Times observed homes shared by refugees or LGBTQ+ individuals to be comforting because of the shared experiences that residents faced. 

This doesn’t mean you can only love communal living if you’re in Greek life or are best friends with your roommates. Building a home means committing to shared experiences and free time with whoever you cohabitate with — it’s these experiences that truly make or break communal living.

As someone who cherishes peace and quiet, I understand the reluctance to sacrifice additional time alone. It can feel so much easier to close your door and let time float away. However, I can honestly say there has not been a second I’ve spent living in my home that I would’ve traded for another night by myself.

I have the rest of my life to stand on my own, to sit on my phone and doom scroll away precious hours of sleep.

But I have less than two years left at this school, and I want to spend them with the people I love. Those whose laughs have now become immediately recognizable to me. Those who make the most mundane of activities feel like memories being stitched into my mind — a cliché that I can’t even cringe at because of its truth.

This second family I’ve lived my college life with is one that will do anything with me, even sit in silence when I’m in need of the quiet.

Hailey is a junior in Business.

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