Trial and Error: A Dorm Room Dilemma by Felipe

Trial and Error: A Dorm Room Dilemma by Felipe - March 2024 Scholarship Essay

Over the summer I got my first look into what it would be like living in a dorm room with a roommate. I attended the Stevens Institute of Engineering bootcamp for one week and my roommate was a friend that went to my school. My friend's name was Owen and throughout this week our thoughts, living styles, and friendship would be tested a bit. Although rooming with a friend seems like a no brainer when you actually think about it you would be spending a majority of the time with them, something that is relatively new for most friends. Although I was quite good friends with Owen I was not prepared for the week I was about to spend with him. The first two days went relatively good with no bumps or issues arising. But on the third day that's when our personalities started to clash. Although me and Owen were both really good friends, we both made different friends and had our own friend groups at the camp. Owen being more of a trouble maker decided to be friends with some of the most annoying people (in my opinion). The third day Owen and his group of friends decided to clog one of the toilets on the second floor of the dorm and cause flooding on half of that floor. Thankfully, our room wasn't on that floor and Owen was not directly involved so he wasn't punished. I later mentioned to Owen that these friends were not a good influence and that if he continues to cause chaos he's also gonna get kicked out like his friends.

During this whole week your roommate and yourself were meant to complete a project and present it at the end of the week. Owen and I were supposed to make a lego robot and code it to run a course without any inputs other than start. At first, we started off clashing ideas and just being mad at each other not only because of the mischief and jokes that we would pull on each other during the day and in our dorm room but also because I told Owen that he needed to, “leave his friends because I told him to”, although I didn't actually say this, I told him earlier that his friends were a bad influence. . Owen was being very difficult and stubborn, believing that we would only need two color sensors to ensure that the bot stays in the lane while I believed that the bot only needed one sensor and just had the ability to turn slightly to one side to stay on course. At one point Owen got so frustrated at me that he walked out of the classroom and he didn't come back to help with the robot. I got so frustrated at him that I slept in a friend's dorm that night because he had a spare bed. The next day during that class I tried to compromise with Owen and told him that we should try both and see which one is better. After a bit of arguing and convincing he finally allowed me to try both attempts. By the end of both trials we realized we were both wrong

Although we were both wrong we came to a solution, two sensors and the ability to turn, in the end we did not end up winning but we did mend the friendship that was once tested that week.