One of the best (and occasionally worst) parts about college is having roommates. It’s normally the best because, essentially it’s like having a sleepover with some of your best friends every night of the week. But, it can easily be the worst when your roommates (or even yourself) are doing things that make others not happy. Here are a few tips for being a decent roommate 90% of the time.
Clean up after yourself:
This is probably one of the easiest ways to be a good roommate. If you make a mess in the kitchen, clean it up. There is nothing worse than coming home to cook dinner and seeing that the kitchen is already a disaster from someone else cooking. Often times cleaning up after yourself right away takes less than five minutes and can save an argument from happening.
Don’t take things without asking:
This can go for things from food to clothing. We’ve all been there, you come home after a long day to see that someone has ate the one food item that you were most looking forward to… You don’t want it to happen to you, so don’t be this person either. Ask before you take something, if your roommates are anything like mine, then majority of the time they will let you use something of theirs.
Pay your part of the bills on time:
This doesn’t really mean anything to people who live in all-inclusive apartments, but for others who live in actual houses and split internet and utilities, this can be a big deal. Do not make your roommate ask you again and again for your half of the internet money. Things happen, and you may forget once or twice, but don’t make a habit of it.
Be considerate:
This, in my opinion, covers many things when it comes to living with other people. I think a lot of issues when living with others come from not considering them before you do things. So, fit this in wherever you see it necessary. Whether it means being quiet after a certain time, replacing things when they run out or even being nice. It’s very easy to make your roommates happy if you just consider them a bit too before you do things.
Overall, you and your roommate(s), will have issues but these are definitely a few ways you can avoid some of those issues in the long run. Have an awesome year!