"...Into Something Rich and Strange"

Abstract

Unless a student is very lucky, when she attends college she will end up with more than one roommate. Some unlucky, girls have so many roommates during their four-year journey to real money that they live with one of every type. The types range from the Partyer to the Studyaholic, from the Overachiever to the Homebody, from the Religious fanatic to the Generic. Each type has a distinctive set of activities and a unique style of conversation. The first kind of roommate a fresh-faced freshman might encounter as she lugs the first of many boxes into her room is the Partyer. This roommate begins planning her weekends on Monday and begins weekending on Wednesday. (Tuesday is reserved for washing laundry.) She knows where every party is, whether on or off campus, and she appears at most of them. Her fellow partyers do not believe a party truly swings until she arrives; any party she does not attend is a flop. When asked, she can instantly disclose which bars have taco night, margarita night, fifty-cent beer night, and lady's night. All the bartenders call her by name and remember her drink, the bartender's iced tea. A typical conversation with her non-Partyer roommate begins like this: