It was around this time last year that all of my friends simultaneously began freaking out about signing a lease for the upcoming school year. As an out-of-state freshman, I was completely overwhelmed. I hadn’t made that many friends yet and I definitely had not met a solid group that I was ecstatic about the idea of living with for a whole twelve months. Leases are scary. When you sign a lease, your landlord doesn’t provide you with a meal plan or community advisor; sometimes leases don’t even include beds.
So I was scared. I didn’t want to end up living far away from campus or somewhere super expensive, so I signed a five-person lease with my best friend. At that time, we had no idea who our other three roommates would be, but we didn’t care. We secured housing for the 2016-2017 school year! We weren’t going to have to live in the dorms again!
But as spring semester began, the date we needed to fill our lease by quickly approached and we still didn’t have any other roommates. We met up with girls who contacted us over Facebook and through mutual friends, but none of them seemed to be the right fit. In April, one of our close guy friends unfortunately had his lease fall through, but lucky for us, he ended up signing onto ours. He found a guy to share a room with, and then we found a guy on the University of Minnesota Housing and Sublet Facebook page (this page is reserved for University of Minnesota students only!) who signed as our fifth and final roommate. Almost suddenly, I had three guys for roommates!
I grew up with two older brothers, so the idea of living with guys was not foreign to me, but these guys weren’t my brothers. Here’s a few things you need to know about signing a lease with three straight guys, before you actually make the leap:
They’re messy, but not as messy as you would think.
It’s no secret that boys can be gross, but girls can be gross, too. Cleaning our house is usually pretty easy and the chores get done regularly, but only through communication! In any living situation, communication about responsibilities is key to a harmonious household.
They can eat whole frozen pizzas regularly and not get sick.
There have been numerous occasions when I’ve come home to one of my guy roommates eating a whole pizza. It doesn’t even phase them though, they’ll just go about their day. If I did that, I would be on the floor in a food coma.
They know how to grill.
Ladies, you might know how to do this too, but I sure don’t, so having someone around who is always down to grill me a burger is amazing.
Their lack of knowledge about the female body is astounding.
My guy roommates are extremely supportive and understanding when it comes to “That Time of the Month,” but sometimes, they just don’t get it. Explaining my period symptoms leaves them with bewildered looks on their faces. This is why I’m so thankful that I have a female roommate who understands me, as well.
They know how to, and are happy to, set up and fix the TV.
Again, I’m no technology guru. I don’t even regularly watch TV, so when I moved into a new place and was given three remotes with no explanation, I needed someone to help me out.
They may or may not watch football ALL DAY on Sunday.
Football isn’t important to me, but it’s important in our household. Sometimes, the constant whistles and commercials bother me, but when the Vikings play, we happily host watching parties and order pizzas on Sunday nights and it’s a very relaxing way to end the weekend.
They’re strong.
Take advantage of it. They will help you carry things if you ask. This makes move-in and grocery shopping much less work.
They will put things in places that are NOT right.
Cookware on top of the cabinets? I’m 5-foot-3. How am I supposed to reach the cookie sheet up there?
You’ll want a separate bathroom!
I’m telling you this from personal experience. I don’t have a separate bathroom from my current roommates, and growing up I had to share my bathroom with my two older brothers. Having your own bathroom’s a necessary luxury; invest in it.
They know how to have fun.
Whenever I come home from having a bad day, I can count on my guy roommates to be down for an impromptu Kanye dance party.
They might not like your music taste, but that’s okay.
Like most, we only have one speaker system in my apartment. Compromising on music selection has opened my eyes to a lot of different artists and genres that I previously wouldn’t have listened to. For example: Rob $tone, ScHoolboy Q, and other rappers. These artists are vastly different than my favorites like the White Stripes and Amy Winehouse.
They’re supportive.
They may not be able to relate to all of my struggles, but they provide me with perspective when they give me advice.
They will respect you and your personal space.
This is so important and should be the case with your roommates regardless of gender, but I take great comfort in knowing that none of my guy roommates would ever come in my room without knocking or asking and I hope that they take comfort in knowing that I wouldn’t go in their rooms without permission, either.
Disclaimer: I have been lucky enough to have scored the best roommates on the planet. Be rigorous in your roommate selection process, it will pay off in the end. You want to live in a respectful environment with a fun dynamic, right? If you end up struggling to find roommates, don’t be overwhelmed by the idea of roommates of a different gender, they could become some of your best friends.