Who remembers awkward snuggling!?

No matter if your school is comprised of baseball caps or plaid shirts, pearls or feather earrings, Big 10 football or frolf; there are some stories from college that cease to differ. When you put thousands of kids aged 18-22 in a close proximity for four years, there are going to be repeat offenses and plenty of stories to tell from them. The list below is composed of the top 10 stories from your average college kid- the embarrassing, the awkward, and (unfortunately) the frequent.

1. Omg well MY roommate…
Even if you and the roommates become best buds for life, there is always that one annoying thing he or she does that always manages to come out when you’re studying for your Biological Anthropology final. These habits could range from moderately annoying (like replaying the same 4 songs on loop at a creepily quiet level) to excruciatingly annoying (like sexiling you every night for two weeks straight, and leaving the proof everywhere). We’ve all got our stories, and we all love to one-up each other in conversations arguing over who had it worse.

2. Sloppy drunk you don’t remember
Again, I understand there are exceptions to this one as well. There are the few [lame] college students who do not touch a drink during their four years at college. However, for the rest of us, the majority has at least one story where we completely embarrassed ourselves in a drunken haze of a night. Whether it’s public vomiting or humiliating declarations, there are probably stories better left forgotten. Which brings me to my next story… Read More »

I want to return to the issues of studies and irksome classmates I raised earlier, but first, a reader brought up two important factors that can lead to depression: (a) going to the wrong school and (b) dealing with wacko roommates. (I wanna thank one of my readers for adding these dimensions to the present discussion about depression in college).

These two things – knowing that you’re going to the wrong school and dealing with wacko roomies – shouldn’t be taken lightly either. A few years ago, I had a friend who became deeply depressed after she moved into a dorm room with her then best friend. After a few months in college, her best friend became sullen, withdrawn, and passive aggressive.

To make matters worse, her roomie acted out in petty, cruel ways. At the time, my friend felt trapped, because of her contractual agreement with the school and had to wait it out. Things were so tough, she sought counseling, and was able to use that as a channel to relieve stress and anxiety about the situation. When you’re in a living situation that’s gone bad, and you’re either (a) stuck in some contractual deal with your university or (b) bound to a lease, those feelings of being totally out of control can become very overwhelming. I won’t even venture into the realm of “unsolicited invitations” in which you’re exposed to your roommate’s sexual indiscretions. (We’ll deal with that later). Read More »

Dear Normal Roommates,

So – how are you? I’m probably the last person that you want to hear from but I want you to know that I’ve changed. Please just hear me out.

Before I started college, I remember hearing third and fourth hand stories about crazy roommates (You know those stories – I don’t need to summarize any of them for you). Because of those stories, I went into the dorms worried about the crazy that I might encounter, never once thinking that I could ever BE that storied roommate.

But as it turns out, I was indeed that person. On behalf of the crazies who realize that they were the crazy and the crazies who are still not aware of what their crazy is doing to their roommates, I am truly sorry and I hope that you can accept my/our apology.

Specifically to my freshman year roommates, A. and R., I apologize for coming back to our room in the middle of the night and drunkenly puttering around in the darkness. I truly believed that I was being quiet, but I only realize now that my quiet when I’m drunk equals ‘wake-you-up’ loud to unintoxicated ears. Read More »