With the fury that is housing week over, it’s now time to think about next year. Maybe your roommate situation didn’t work out quite as well as you had hoped. Perhaps you even moved out mid-year due to irreconcilable differences. For whatever reason, you want to know how you can make next year flow as smoothly as possible and make your dorm room a safe haven, not a battle ground. My roommate and I were randomly paired together freshman year and it could not have turned out better; we will be direct roommates for the third year in a row next year without one fight to our names. Here are a few tips I think will help you achieve peaceful living quarters whether you have wound up on upper, lower, or even off campus.
Let the Little Things Go: Let’s face it, BC dorms aren’t the most luxurious living accommodations. Space is limited. Living practically on top of someone 24/7 can be tough. I have heard of roommates getting in epic battles over q-tips left around the room. If you want to have a drama-free year, you need to learn how to breathe. Tell your roommate what’s bothering you rather than letting everything built up to the point where a q-tip sets you off on a wild rampage.
Sleep is Important: Say you and your roommate have completely different schedules. One of you stays up late and one of you goes to bed really early. Or one of you wakes up early and the other sleeps in. In college, sleep is treasured. If your roommate goes to sleep early, head to the study lounge once in a while so you don’t keep them up. If you get up early and your roommate isn’t a dead sleeper, try not to slam the drawers or turn every single light in the room on.
Make Them Feel Special: Don’t forget birthdays! Even if you and your roommate aren’t the best of friends, everyone likes to feel important on their birthday. A simple gesture like getting them a birthday card or a treat from Mac goes a long way. You don’t have to go all out with the door decorations, just show that you remembered and wish them a happy birthday. If you know your roommate is super stressed about an upcoming test, leave a piece of candy on their desk with a note wishing them luck. If they’re an athlete, go to one of their games and support them. Little things that don’t take up a whole lot of time will probably make their day and make the mood of the room a little brighter.
Share the Space: We understand that it’s your room too, but your roommate should be able to have some “alone time” in the room and vise versa. If your roommate is constantly kicking you out, talk to them, but be flexible. If they want to have the room to themselves, set rules. They can have it one day a weekend, but you’re not going to deal with being kicked out all weekend. You can trade off and on for who gets the room.
Be (Somewhat) Clean: Its understandable that on top of all the school work, extra curricular, and jobs some of us have, it’s hard to keep your side of the room sparkling clean, but try not to have a pigsty. The rooms honestly feel so much bigger when there is some sort of organization. Having a clean room can also reduce your stress, which makes you less likely to snap at your roommate. If you live on lower or off-campus where there is a common bathroom, make a cleaning schedule so one person isn’t stuck doing all the work.
Talk it Out: People aren’t mind readers and you need to tell them what’s wrong sometimes. Your roommate could have absolutely no idea why you’re mad at them, even if it is blatantly obvious to you. You’ll be surprised how people respond when you go to them directly rather than you complaining about them to your friends and them hearing it through the grape vines.
If you take one thing away from these tips, it’s that living with someone might not be easy, but it doesn’t have to be as hard as some people make it out to be. These are some simple things you can do to insure that your room doesn’t become the battleground for World War III.