If you’re like me, then you had a lot of trouble deciding which college to go to. I’m from out of state, so I didn’t grow up a die-hard Penn Stater. I went back and forth between Penn State and another college for months before finally deciding to come here just a couple of days before the May 1st deadline.
Unfortunately, the later you wait, the higher your chance is of getting placed in supplemental housing. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, but that summer I found out that I would be in supplemental housing with three other girls. I was really nervous. What if they didn’t like me? Would I have to sleep on a bunk bed? What if none of us got along?
When I met them though, everyone was pretty normal and nice. We all got along for the most part and only got in a fight or two. I did have to sleep on the top bunk though, which was kind of a pain. In November, I’d gotten settled in my supplemental situation, but one of my four roommates texted me out of nowhere that she wanted to move out. She asked me if I would be interested in moving out with her.
People in supplemental housing get first choice in switching rooms for the second semester. So, my roommate had found an open room for two and wanted the two of us to take it. I thought about it for a little bit, but decided it would be the best choice for the two of us to move into the double. We told the other two girls, and they were happy. We could still all stay friends, and now they had a larger room for just the two of them.
No matter what your supplemental situation is, you can make it work.
Some people really loved their supplemental experiences. Junior criminology major Claire Preston lived in a four person supplemental. One of her roommates moved out early on and was never replaced. So, it was just the three of them. She says, “I was really anxious about having not one but three random roommates but I met my best friends in supplemental and I don’t regret choosing not to move out for a minute.”
Claire still lives with one of the girls today.
Junior engineering major Rudy Kircher lived with two other guys and says, “I became really close friends with people I otherwise wouldn’t have even talked to.”
These stories also speak to having random roommates. People often feel like they have to find their roommate beforehand. While that sometimes works out, from what I’ve seen, success rates are about the same when you pick someone or go random. I’ve had five different random roommates over the years, and they were all really cool girls.
If you find out that you’ll be in supplemental, don’t freak out. A lot of times, it’s an easy group of people to become your “fast friend group.” Remember that everyone is just as nervous as you are, and they WANT to like you. If you go in with an open mind, things will most likely work out, and if not, Penn State is pretty accommodating.
For more information about supplemental housing, click here.
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