Is Your Roommate Your Best Friend? What if They’re Not?
Freshmen Noah Davis and Berkley Murphy hang out in their new dorm
As the semester draws to a start and students move on campus, many are excited to see their dorms and their roommates. Whether it’s your senior year or freshman year, move-in is an exciting time for everyone.
As happy and fun as it can all be, living with another person can also be nerve-wracking. Many people are starting their semester with a new roommate, and others are sharing a room with another person for the very first time.
It can seem daunting and a little scary at first. However, there are many things that you can do to ensure a smoother start with a new roommate.
One of the most vital things for a smooth campus living experience is to get to know your roommate early and set boundaries. Everyone has different living styles, so it’s important to talk about what living styles you each hold, and clarify what you are comfortable with and what they are not comfortable with.
Establishing this early in the semester can help prevent disagreements further down the line. Everyone deserves to be comfortable in their own dorm.
Even if your roommate is a friend, living with someone for the first time is still an adjustment, even if you knew them previously.
Talking about schedules and habits is also helpful. Having a good idea of each other’s class schedules and personal habits allows each of you to figure out when you may or may not be in the dorm. Some people value their alone time, so this may aid in ensuring that they can get that.
While these things can be helpful, fights and arguments can still happen. It’s normal for roommates to experience disagreements from time to time.
When this happens, try not to panic! Oftentimes, these issues can be easily resolved.
If each roommate is comfortable, taking time to talk it out can be a lot more effective than most people realize. If a roommate group wants another person to be there for the conversation, talk to a resident advisor. Communication is key when sharing a living space.
The RAs are there to help their residents. When issues arise, RAs are great for seeking out advice and help. They are students too, and many of them have had roommates of their own at some point. They can offer advice on how to approach conversations, and even be there if that is what the roommate group wants.
If there has not been a fight necessarily, but something is bothering a student and they do not know how to bring it up to their roommate, talking to an RA can be a good idea for that as well.
Even after communicating and talking about things, sometimes things just don’t work out. If issues don’t resolve or a serious issue that threatens your safety happens, there are measures in place to address it.
Not everyone works out as roommates, and that’s okay! It can be discouraging and anxiety-inducing when two roommates don’t get along, but it happens.
When things do not work out, the next step is typically moving. One roommate will have to decide that they would like to move out, and then contact the Housing and Residence Life office.
Res Life and your RAs will work with whoever decides to leave to get a new room placement. When the student gets their new room placement, they will then move their stuff into what is hopefully their dorm for the rest of the school year.
With the room change, the student may then have a new roommate, but that is not always the case.
Living with other people can be scary, but it can also be so much fun! Most people do not live with the same roommate for all of college. Some get lucky and find a best friend out of their very first roommate, but it is also perfectly normal to realize that you and your roommate just aren’t meant to live together.
Everyone is different, which means that every roommate is different. Just because some roommates did not work out does not mean that you won’t find one that does.
Don’t let a bad roommate experience discourage you from campus living! Living with another person has its bumps in the road, but it can also result in wonderful memories that you will take with you long after graduation.
