I remember being in a Vermont cabin the summer before freshman year at Georgetown when the most exciting and stressful email popped into my inbox: Charms has officially opened. Charms is a service for incoming Georgetown students in order to match with a roommate that shares your habits and values, so you can find someone to share the first year with.
Personally, I was too nervous to go random for a roommate, so I was excited to find one. I started talking to a girl from across the country, Emma. Emma and I figured Charms worked like Facebook, where you can add a list of friends and potential roommates and formally decide sometime later. Emma and I are super alike and love many of the same things, so we added each other online pretty quickly.
Turns out, Charms is not like Facebook, so me and Emma became roommates right then and there.
I couldn’t imagine any other way, though. The way me and Emma became roommates is very on-brand for our personalities, and now we have had the most spontaneous fun together during our first semester. From cookie baking to DC adventuring, I really lucked out to have found and become roommates with Emma in what initially was an unplanned experience.
After going through the process, and learning the ins and outs of the system (for better or for worse), I’ve got a bit of advice for incoming freshmen on roommate and dorm selections.
Relax
Ultimately, it is all going to work out. Whether your roommate becomes your best friend or solely someone to share the room with, do not over think the horror stories people tell you. It is really a great opportunity to learn more about yourself and someone else, and no matter how close you two are, it really is going to be okay.
Be Honest About What You Want
The Charms service is an opportunity to show yourself and put down all your preferences, so answer them completely honestly. Know who you are and what you expect, and do not try to be anything else than yourself. I think being completely transparent and ourselves online is what made me and Emma a great pair in real life, and is the best advice I can give you.
Be Open
Living with someone else, especially if you have never shared a room before, is a unique experience. To have fun and work together, you have to really be open minded and patient. Emma is honestly one of the most considerate girls I know, and I try to be the same for her.
Finding a roommate really is fun and exciting, so don’t worry about the process. I promise you will find your person and find your place at Georgetown, even if it doesn’t initially seem that way. That perfect roommate you are looking for is looking for you too! Accidentally becoming roommates with Emma is one of the best accidents that I have made yet; it worked like a charm.
