F irst impressions are so scary. Flashback to two years ago.

I arrived with my brand new twin comforter and shower shoes, along with a whole carload of stuff for the ever-exciting dorm life experience.

I had decided to take a potluck roommate.

"It's a good way to expand your social circle and meet more people," everyone said.

So, I opened the door and saw that my roommate had already set up camp in the tiny Mitchell dorm room that we would be sharing for who knows how long.

Along with the cowboy boots, dark-colored polo shirts, and the green plaid bedspread taking over her side of the room, she left a few gifts for me: some hair clips and a huge rubber spider.

"Is this girl for real?" I thought, looking at the plastic insect.

She finally came to the room, accompanied with her boyfriend, who began telling me a complete detailed instruction for tying up pigs.

My roommate and I had NOTHING in common.

My side of the room looked as if it belonged in the Delia's catalog.

Hers looked as if it belonged in the Nickelodeon show "Hey Dude."

I would study. She would saddle up to a chair and watch television for hours.

No matter how much we were different, though, we were still roommates, and we found things that we had in common.

For instance, we bonded with rant-sessions about "man-checks."

For those unfamiliar, they're the random, late-night entries of an R.A. looking for guys in your room after the midnight curfew. It will get any set of roommates talking and on the same side.

And, those deep, late night talks that everyone has while the lights are out in the room? Yep. We had those, too.

I found it amazing that even we could find something to talk about, but I guess it's easy to dish about boys, friends and home life with anyone who listens.

She left Tech after two quarters, and it wasn't a tear-jerking experience, but I did figure something out.

My first impression of her wasn't what she had turned out to be.

Sure, she put a fake spider by my bed, and had many quirks that made me think twice about her, but looking back on it, she wasn't that bad.

It's easy to judge someone on the spot, and say, "Oh, they're not my type of person at all." But, it's easier to give them a chance.

I've been told that college is all about finding out who you are and experiencing life on your own.

Everyday, we're meeting tons of new people and making first impressions left and right.

Maybe you, too, have a roommate who you are sketchy about since first meeting them. But after you get past the initial negative vibe, it is easier to get to know the person for who they are and what they can offer to your world.

Sometimes, it's easy to forget that these people are going through the same thing that we are. They're making a first impression, too.

Hey, that's at least one thing in common.

Julie Miller is a junior journalism major from Shreveport and serves as associate managing editor of The Tech Talk. E-mail comments to jem028@latech.edu.