One of the worst parts about turning your tassel? Moving out of your college apartment that you shared with your besties. Sure, you might have been living in a place really close to being condemned, but it was yours. You drank there, you laughed there and made more than a few hilarious mistakes – and your roommates were by your side the whole time.
That’s why every reunion with your college roommates is so special and so much of a freakin’ throwback. Of course, you’ll relive every unreal moment you shared in college, but you’ll also cover some new subjects because, you know, you’re grownups now. At least you’re pretending to be. Here are the seven things to expect:
1. How you haven’t seen each other in FOREVER.
Oh. my. GOD. You haven’t seen your college roommates in months or years – you’re obviously going to flip about this when you’re back in the same place once again. It might take a while for you all to stop screaming, hugging, crying and touching each other’s faces in a totally non-creepy way. Then, everyone will have to compose herself for the requisite Instagram post to show everyone that you’re reunited and it feels so good.
2. The type of person you were in college, which embarrasses you because you’re soooo much more grown up than you were back then.
No surprise here: Your reunion will instantly spark conversations about who you were when you were between the ages of 18 and 22. It will be embarrassing, hilarious, sloppy, silly, cringe- and tear-worthy, and you’ll love every minute. The good news is that you all know everything about each other at college age, so everyone has enough material to redirect the conversation somewhere else.
3. The awful clothes you used to wear in college.
At least you wore these cringeworthy trends together. What were you all thinking?!
4. All of the guys you either dated, hooked up with, or wanted to hook up with.
This is a given whenever you see any of your friends, but especially the friends that you lived with. That’s because they were basically the third wheel in any relationship OR hookup you had in college. Even if you don’t live together anymore, they’ll want to know how everything is going, and in great detail. Does he snore? Boxers or briefs? Nothing is off limits.
5. What you do at work.
Probably the most cringeworthy of all the possible topics, but usually for about 5~ minutes your group talks about what’s going on in your respective jobs and industries because chances are you college friends will actually understand and/or work in your job industry, unlike your home friends. After a few minutes of discussing this, you will realize you’ve veered way too hard into the world of adulting. At that point, it’s okay to call everyone out for it and proceed with opening your next bottle of wine.
6. Office drama.
No — this does not fall under the ‘work’ section because it’s actually interesting, and at least ONE of you is bound to have an interesting workplace life. Old college friends will understand your workplace hookups, and they’ll also get your workplace relationships of the platonic variety. This includes your new work husband or wife who gets you through the day on a daily basis. It also includes your crazy, creepy, freaky co-workers of the Craig Middlebrooks variety. After everyone dishes, you’ll feel a lot less peeved by your colleagues when you realize everyone has the same feelings about theirs.
7. How different your new, adult roommates are.
Your college roommates were the originals, the ones who taught you to live with someone who isn’t part of your family. Now, you probably live with new roommates as you venture into the costly world of grownup real estate and renting. You will tell your old roomies how the new one stacks up and complain because, well, nothing will ever compare to having roommates in college. Living with people in the adult world is SO different.
8. Where your life is going — and if you’re happy with that or not.
Your college roommates were with you through a lot of drunken, fun times, but they also struggled with you figuring out what to do next. They saw you study all night for huge exams, pack your bags for study abroad, attempt to get your first job out of college, and start over after a devastating breakup. Even though you’ve made it through the emotional roller coaster that is college, you’ve still got a long way to go. Perhaps your current situation isn’t what you envisioned when you all lived together and dreamed about the future – that’s OK. Your time with your roomies is one that you can use to have those life talks that shaped you into the adult that you are today.
Tell them your most hard-to-believe dreams and watch them encourage you to chase them. Tell them honestly how your relationship is going. They’re your college roommates, after all, and they know you better than most, regardless of whether or not you’re still under the same roof. The F in BFF is for forever, after all.
