Random Roommates Gone Right

By Alexa Pylant

Random roommates can be scary. I’m sure you have heard the horror stories across East Campus, maybe from your friend in your hall or maybe even yourself! So when I walked into my Trinity dorm room the first day of moving in, I had no idea what to expect. But I would later come to find out that my random roommate pairing would be one of the reasons why I fell in love with Duke.

My roommate and I immediately got along, and honestly we thought it was too good to be true. We had similar interests and values, loved Duke Basketball, and most importantly had the same sleep schedule ! We still act like we are shocked that we were paired together and our ways of living match up so well, but that’s why Duke Housing created a survey — to match up people like us! We are actually living together sophomore year in Edens as well, which I am already excited for.

Having the same living habits is great, but what I really love is being able to talk to my roommate after a long day. Getting off the C1 bus and walking back to Trinity after my three hour Chem 101 lab is not fun, but I’m always excited to go back to my room. Being able to just say anything to her about what’s going on in my life or classes, or simply saying what comes to mind makes me feel so comfortable in my room. And it’s SO important to have a safe space to be able to relax and unwind. In my freshman year of college here at Duke, I found myself so far away from familiarity with friends and family back at home in Texas. Being all the way in North Carolina (a 17 hour drive away from home) it was easy for me to feel out of touch and overwhelmed. This overwhelming feeling descends upon everyone at one point or another, and having a strong support system here at Duke through your roommate can make all of the difference.

If you are an incoming freshman dreading opening up that Duke Housing random roommate assignment, I hope my experience brings you some comfort, and makes you feel more optimistic about the next four years of your life here as a blue devil!

Alexa Pylant is a freshman and a first year @DukeStudents intern. She plans to major in Psychology and minor in Global Health on a pre-medicine track. When she’s not on BC Plaza hanging out with her friends, you can find her studying in Vondy cafe.