So you’ve snagged your housing for college, now what? We have all heard of those college roommate horror stories, here are some tips you can follow to have the best dorm life experience possible.
1. Share what You’re Bringing
Share a google document with a list of things you are bringing for the dorm, that way you can coordinate who is bringing what. You don’t want to overpack or show up to move in a day with two fridges and no lamp.
2. Similar Living Habits
Try to find a roommate that has similar living habits: How clean are you? What time do you go to bed? You are going to be living with your roommate for a full year, so you want to find someone that you can see yourself living with through the good times and the bad.
3. Be Honest
Be honest with yourself and to your roommates, the last thing you want is to create an unhealthy environment where you have high expectations for yourself or a roommate that does not meet their own standards. For example, if your roommate says they are super clean and then they are actually messy, is not fair to the roommate who wanted a clean dorm room from the get-go. Don’t be delusional.
4. Share Important Info
Inform your roommate if you have any medical conditions, challenges, or needs for your dorm such as the space for yourself for telehealth etc. And if your roommate is not understanding of that, then that means they won’t be a good fit. Red flag alert!
5. Best Friend x Roommate
Just because they’re your best friend does not mean they will be the best roommate. In order to maintain good friendships, truly consider how compatible you are living habits wise.
6. Set Expectations
Create a list of expectations and boundaries and have them in writing! Those expectations can pertain to cleaning habits, guests, shared space, and party habits, that way there will be no surprises from day one.
7. Assign Chores
Assign chores and alternate it each week to maintain a contributed clean dorm. I’ve heard multiple situations where one roommate does more cleaning than another or does not contribute to purchases of cleaning supplies. So find a roommate that matches your cleaning habits and implement a chore chart.
8. Contract-sign here
It may sound extreme, but creating a list of rules for you and your roommate together to follow will be extremely beneficial in reaching full agreements on how you want your dorm life to look like. Some rules my roommates and I have made are:
- Let roommates know if you are inviting anyone back to the dorm, especially partners/relationships.
- Respect each other’s space.
- If you have an issue or problem, talk to your roommate respectfully.
- Have a mature, respectful conversation when conflicts arise.
- Ask if you want to borrow anything-especially clothes or food.
- Let roommates know if you will be out of town.
I hope these suggestions have helped you gained clarity into not only find the perfect fit for a roommate but how to maintain a healthy dorm life environment for your upcoming fall semester! And most importantly, if conflict does arise, try your best to be respectful and always seek help from your CA, RA or residential official to help mediate the situation if it becomes severe.