Finding Tatum’s Purpose: Roommate Conflict

Living with another person in college can be difficult. Read more about one student's roommate experience at GCU here.

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Read time 2 minutes

Tatum Sorrelman

Published On May 24, 2017

Living with another person in college can be difficult. Each person is trying to establish some sort of routine while trying to adjust to a new type of lifestyle. More often than not, these routines and lifestyles do not match those of the person you are living with and that can create roommate conflict.

I did double occupancy for my first year of school with one of my friends. But, like every roommate experience, you are bound to run into conflict no matter how close you are. That’s just what happens when you’re living in a small dorm room for months and you share a bathroom.

My roommate and I did experience conflict, as most roommates do. But, I honestly think that the conflict that we experienced made our living together better. Once we were able to get the conflict out in the open, which can be one of the hardest parts about dealing with conflict, we were able to work on the problem. It also helps that you have resident directors and resident advisors that you can talk to if you need advice on what to do in these types of situations.

I am not going to lie: Living on campus did present its challenges. And I found myself miserable on more than one occasion. But it was through that pain that I was able to grow into the person I am now. It is not easy to be going through a hard time and stick it through to the end. But, I am proud that I was able to push through the difficulties and come out stronger.

My roommate experience overall was pretty normal in my opinion. It taught me a lot about myself that I would not have learned otherwise. By going through conflict and dealing with situations that I didn’t want to deal with, I was able to grow as a person. Challenges can change you for the better. Despite the difficulty they may present, the end result is almost always worth the struggle.