College Roommate Survival Guide
How to Share a Dorm Room or Campus Apartment with Minimal Conflict
Is your roommate driving you insane? Do you wonder how you'll ever stand to live with this person for a year? Here are some survival tips to help you get along.
For many college students, living with a roommate in a dorm room or an apartment is one of the most difficult experiences they encounter. After all, sharing space with a friend or stranger is a new experience for most students. In addition, college is a stressful time, and the stress of final exams, homesickness, financial problems, all those other issues can exacerbate problems between roommates.
So what's a college student to do? It's worth the effort to make the best of a roommate situation, because otherwise, life is going to be a whole lot more difficult for both of you. Here are some survival tips to help you get off to a good start with your new roommate and stay there.
Choosing a Roommate
Finding a compatible roommate is not an easy task. You might get along well with someone well socially, but when it comes to living together, you might be more different than you realize. At some point (like freshman year), you'll probably have to choose between living with someone you already know and living with a random person. To help you out, here are some advantages and disadvantages of living with a friend versus living with a stranger to keep in mind.
Roommate Contracts
One of the smartest thing new roommates can do to minimize conflict is to write a roommate contract. This allows each roommate to articulate their expectations of each other and to negotiate points that might lead to problems. If you live in a dorm, your residence hall advisor might require you to write such a contract and may be able to give you guidance. Here are some tips on how to write a roommate contract.
Roommate Etiquette
Getting along with the person you live with is a challenge for just about everybody. To make it work, it's very important that roommates show each other a mutual sense of respect and politeness. At times, you may need to make a little extra effort to make sure you're treating each other appropriately. Here are some roommate etiquette tips that all roommate should remember.
Roommate Conflict
It's almost inevitable that something will go wrong, at least a little bit. When you spend a good deal of time with someone, you're bound to get on each other's nerves, so don't panic if conflict arises with your roommate. the important thing is to address the conflict in a responsible and efficient manner. Otherwise, your living situation is going be become very unpleasant. Here are some guidelines for how to deal with roommate conflict.
Maintaining a Friendly Environment
You don't have to be best friends with your roommate, or even friends at all. However, your living situation will be much easier if you have a friendly relationship. Take the time to ask your roommate how that biology test went. Show some extra consideration by bringing back chicken soup from the dining hall if your roommate is sick, or by helping your roommate with a computer problem. One especially nice gesture: buy your roommate a small holiday gift.
Best of luck to you with your roommate situation! Remember to be patient and considerate, and chances are that you'll get along splendidly-- or at least you won't go crazy. For more tips, check out this dorm room survival guide.
