The time has come for the Class of 2008 (now the Class of 2012) to pack their Uggs and board their Southwest flights.  Parents everywhere are joining support groups because their oldest children – or worse, their youngest – are leaving the nest, at least until Thanksgiving break. 

Rather than focus on the crazy emotions of saying farewell to your baby, the Neurotic Parent will present a one-time special edition of Strange but True Roommate Stories.  Readers' contributions are welcomed – anything to keep this blogger from facing the music that the application process has truly begun.

            STRANGE BUT TRUE ROOMMATE STORY #1:

-         At a small LAC in New York, a girl we know arrived early for her orientation.  She located her dorm room and decided not to claim the superior bed until her roommate showed up; the two would then equitably play Rock/Paper/Scissors to decide who would sleep where.  After waiting around for an hour or so, she headed to Bed, Bath and Beyond with her parents.  When they returned, to their dismay, they found that the roommate had arrived and unpacked her things, taking the better bed.   As she and her parents pondered what lesson to take away from this incident, the roommate showed up, but left immediately, saying that she intended to spend the night with her parents at their hotel.  The next morning, the RA announced that she had decided to defer for a year.  Apparently, a well-located bed was not incentive enough to remain at college.

STRANGE BUT TRUE ROOMMATE STORY #2:

A girl we know, weeks away from attending a mid-sized LAC in Connecticut, received her roommate assignment and immediately went to Facebook to check out her new living companion. She was thrilled to find a beautiful international student  from an exotic country.  But our friend’s daughter, who had signed up to live in the most liberal environment on campus, became slightly concerned when she saw that the roommate had identified her favorite book was the Bible.  In fact all her photos and favorite quotes had biblical themes.  How would this girl react to the student residence known as the “Naked Dorm”?  Should someone tell her about the hall’s clothing optional policy?  Before our friend's daughter could figure whether to take action and warn this soon-to-be-offended freshman, she received a letter from the school – Her roommate had switched residences, and she would now live with a less religious girl from Ohio.

Because the Neurotic Parent has close relationships with just four girls headed to college, and two have experienced Strange but True Roommate incidents, we are sorry to report that the odds of an event of this kind happening to your daughter are 50%, possibly higher if she signs up to live in a Naked Dorm.  We will keep you updated as new statistics come in.