I decided to share a home with three strangers after college, and so far, it's been better than living with friends.
Emily Savage
When I graduated from college in 2023, I knew I wanted to return to Northern California, where I was born and raised.But after living with my parents in the Bay Area suburbs for six months, I accepted a job in San Francisco and needed to move closer to the city for work.There was just one problem: I didn't know a single person in San Francisco. Although I grew up in the area, all my friends had scattered across the country.I debated living alone, but ultimately, as a natural homebody, I wanted roommates to help push me outside my comfort zone and be more social. Having people to split bills with would be nice, too.Desperate to live with someone I even vaguely knew, I tried to connect with a few distant friends of friends, but preferences never aligned, and nothing ever worked out.So, I decided it was time to expand my options and turned to Facebook groups of people looking for roommates in San Francisco.After hours of scrolling through posts and vetting people through Instagram and FaceTime calls, I found three women — three strangers — to live with.
Signing a lease and moving in with people I didn't know was terrifying at first, but now, nearly two years later, I can truly say my life in San Francisco wouldn't be as full without them.In my case, living with strangers gave me built-in exploration buddies and made dividing up chores easier
