The memories we make in college are the ones we will hold onto for a lifetime. From the parties, countless spending on food and clothes, to late night stressful study sessions, we try our hardest to ensure that we have the best type of people around us as we embark on through our college experience. Having a good relationship with your roommate is one of the key factors in guaranteeing you have the best memories to cherish for years to come. Bonding with your roommate is the foundation in creating a friendship! As you face a new school year and prepare to reunite with your roommate or meet your future best friend, here is a list of bonding ideas that will help make your “home away from home” as pleasant as possible.
1. Cook together
Sharing or preparing a meal with your roommate gives you the opportunity to get to know each other better. What better way to get to know someone then sharing a meal or two to find out their likes and dislikes are when it comes to food.
2. Shop Together
I don’t know about you, but I love to shop! Shopping is the perfect stress reliever and fun activity to do in your free time, so why not do it with your roommate? Having someone to give you fashion tips, help you pick out outfits, and give constructive criticism is the perfect way to start a friendship.
3. Decorate the House Together
Once you both have your own belongings unpacked and set up, talk about what you could do to bring your individual spaces together. Bringing forth artistic and creative views is a perfect way to express yourself with your roommate and also gather some new ideas. Since there’s no specified timeframe you need to finish decorating your room, take your time and explore your options.
4. Really Bond (Deep Conversation)
This is a critical thing to do when bonding and attempting to begin a friendship. In order to really get to know someone and increase self-disclosure, you must be open and willing to communicate with your roommate in order to form a bond. Get to know your roommate’s likes and dislikes, their past and plans for the future as well as their overall outlook on life. Being able to have deep intellectual conversations is a stimulating and perfect way to form a long lasting friendship.
5. Set House Rules
Setting house rules is essential in maintaining a healthy and organized household. Whether your roommate is a complete stranger or your best friend, having an honest conversation about each of your expectations as roommates is important for long-term enjoyment. When setting rules be sure to discuss having guests or significant others visit, social habits, cleanliness, pet policies as well as noise preferences both in the morning and evening. Being honest and having an open conversation in the early stages of moving in will help you avoid any surprises and ease tensions once you’re settled in your new home.
6. Party Together
Going out with a roommate has major perks. You also have someone who isn’t to far away who can help you pick out cute party outfits. Pregame with some friends and when you make it to the party, you and your roomie can be each other’s wing woman/man. The best benefit about partying together is you’ll both have tons of memories to laugh about at brunch the next day.
7. TV/ Movie Party/Game Night
Going out together can be a great bonding experience, but so can staying in! Sharing a movie, catching up on your favorite TV series or a good game of spades every so often can be a good way to relax and unwind from studying. This is the perfect opportunity to bond with your roommate! There is no better feeling than being able to have fun in the comfort of your own home.
8. Exercise Together
Everyone should exercise at least 3 days out of the week, so why not workout with your roommate? A lot of personal conversations and relationships develop in the gym. Not only will working out with your roommate open doors for future conversation and gym-time chit-chat, but the common goal of getting in shape or toning up will keep you all addicted to reaping the results.
9. Study Sessions
This is one of the most important bonding activities because obtaining the knowledge we need to succeed is this reason we are in college isn’t it? Having someone to study with and motivate you to be all that you can be is essential, so why not study with your roommate?
10. Volunteer Together
There is no better opportunity to bond with your roommate than spending time together being humanitarians and giving back to your community. From cleaning up roads, to helping at local homeless shelters, you and your roomie will have plenty of community service projects to choose from!
In the end it really doesn’t matter what brings you and your roommate together as long as you find something fun to do. You don’t have to become best friends, but you want to get to know each other well enough that you feel at home in your room.
HCxo!