Now that it’s halfway through the semester, you’ve really gotten to know the girls you’re living with, which may or may not be a good thing. Whether sharing a dorm room with a stranger or sharing an apartment or house with your best friends, living with roommates can be tricky! You never truly know a person until you live with them, which means you get to learn about their best and worst attributes – but those worst attributes are what make a living situation difficult. Sometimes it seems like there is no way to fix a rough situation, but takes these tips into consideration before cutting your lease into tiny pieces!
Messy Macy:
Having a messy roommate is definitely one of the top complaints and toughest problems to deal with. Your dorm room is a completely open and shared space, so if your roommate is a slob then it not only affects her space, but yours as well and it’s important to make this clear! This also applies to the common areas of an apartment (kitchen, living area, etc.) – because while her bedroom and bathroom can be as messy as she pleases, living areas should be kept as clean as y’all agree to keep it. The best way to tackle this issue is to have a calm, frank, in person conversation. Maybe just asking her to do her dishes more often is all will take, but for a more persistently unkempt roommate setting up a cleaning routine will probably be the most effective route. Get a calendar rotation in place and then hold her (and yourself!) accountable!
Boy-Crazy Beth:
Maybe you have a roommate who is a little social butterfly between the sheets and is constantly tramping boys in and out of y’all’s place – and on one hand you want to applaud her, but on the other hand this can be extremely annoying to have random strangers impede on your space! If you share a dorm room this can also be horribly uncomfortable if you accidently walk on some hanky-panky you really didn’t want to see, so be sure to get some sort of policy agreed upon between the two of you. Maybe text each other to give a heads up or to ask if the room is available, or maybe just agree to take the hookups elsewhere? Whatever you two agree upon, be sure to be diligent about it and remember that this is a common courtesy! Even if you have your own room it’s probably best to let them know you’re entertaining an overnight vistor. There’s nothing more awkward than making a cup of coffe in your oversized t-shirt when a guy you’ve never seen before comes walking into the kitchen for some post-hookup fuel.
Argumentative Ashley:
Some girls are just plain b*tches. And sometimes you’re stuck living with them. As much as this sucks, there’s really not much you can do about a person who is naturally aggressive, therefore you need to try to adopt a calm and collected persona. Don’t fight fire with fire – just breathe! Be honest and let your roommate know how you feel and try to have a passive discussion, and if your roommate still flies off the handle the best thing to do is be the bigger person. Walk away and let her know that you refuse to have a hostile argument with her. If you stay consistently calm, the more likely it will be they will take their issues elsewhere!