When it comes to freshman year of college, roommate troubles are all but the inevitable. It’s almost a rite of passage at this point to have some kind of a struggle with your dorm or apartment-mate. Those who are able to choose their roommate might have a bit more luck when it comes to sorting through arguments, but…those who are assigned a randomly chosen roommate aren’t so lucky. An almost guaranteed part of the college experience at some point or another has been or will be an experience that will lead to you wondering if you can survive any more; likely over a yelling, tearful phone call to a supportive person in your life.
Whether this stems from a roommate who is loud with no respect for your boundaries whatsoever and who brings a constant stream of people into the room without so much as asking; a roommate who is a total pig and leaves empty food and laundry everywhere to the point where you can no longer see the floor or stand the smell of your own space, or even a roommate who has a constant lineup of hookups that come in and out of the room without so much as a thought…
Here are some tips to survive the dreaded roommate situation:
1. Stay In The Room As Little As Possible…
Try to be in the room as little as possible. The more time you spend inside this space with this person that is continuously giving you negative vibes, the more down you will become surrounding everything else in your life. To avoid this, find ways to stay in your room as little as you can. Eat your meals in public areas, study in the study lounges on your floor or at the UMC, only go to your room if you ABSOLUTELY have to.
2. Find Friends To Lean On…
Find a solid group of friends you can hang out with to pass the time. The better of a group of people you have around you, the easier this will seem. If you feel as though you are going through this situation alone, it will make the whole thing even harder to get through. Plus, bonus: friends will let you sleep in their rooms if things get WILDLY uncomfortable in your room.
(Modcloth)
3. Make Friends With Your Hall Staff…
Get close with your hall staff, your RA, your hall director, even the people at your front desk. All of them are around to help you have the best experience possible and to work through strategies of how to talk to your roommate when you cannot take them anymore, act as a mediator between the two of you, and even help you to move rooms if it comes to that point.
4. Do Your Best To Stick It Out…
Try your best to stick it out with your roommate. Unless you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT STAND IT ANYMORE, since moving out will be a major inconvenience to you and everyone else involved.
You and your roommate DO NOT need to be best friends or even completely get along, so unless they completely drive you crazy, just mind your own business and live your life. The school year will be over before you know it anyway.