Whether you’ve known your roommate since Pre-K or you’re just meeting at the start of a new semester, getting to know one another is an important aspect of sharing your living space. While it’s not a requirement to be best buds with those you live with, it certainly makes your time in a communal home or dorm that much better. Here are a few ideas to jump-start the roommate bonding process.
1. Roomie Dinner
Whether you’re synchronizing a shared meal at Mrs. E’s or whipping up a four course extravaganza in your apartment kitchen, who doesn’t love food? I’ve discovered some of my favorite dishes indulging with my roomies after a long week of classes. I lucked out and managed to find a great group who enjoy experimenting in the kitchen as much as I do, but if you’re not one for cooking, try out a restaurant you’ve been eying on Mass Street for a while and split a dessert. Treat yourself and get to know your roommate!
2. Explore the Campus
Ah, freshman year. I remember it like it was yesterday. A new space can be daunting, especially one with as many winding roads and hills as the KU campus, but scope it out with your roomie. If you get lost, two heads (or three, or four…) are bound to be able to navigate their way back home just as well as one. I’m a month into my fifth semester and I’m still exploring my ‘hood with my roommates. Who knows, maybe your roomie has an ideal study spot hidden up their sleeve or they know the best place on campus to get cell reception. Share your wealth of campus knowledge, and have their wealth shared with you!
3. Grocery Shop
As silly as this sounds, tackling a grocery store is no easy feat. It took me years to learn how to assemble a proper grocery list and make the rounds without being sidetracked by a new nail color or mounds of junk food. Doing a simple, but necessary task, like stocking up on what you’ll need for the month with someone else is a great way to divide a shared responsibility and keep one another in check. I can’t count how many times I’ve managed to avoid repeat trips to the store because I was lucky enough to have my shopping companion (who also happens to live with me) remind me that toilet paper isn’t optional— it’s necessary.
4. Study Together
Sometimes trying to study with my roommates ends in less studying, and instead results in drawn out discussions over which flavor at Sylas and Maddy’s is truly number one. But that’s the point. Sometimes the best bonding occurs when you least expect it. Whenever I gather in our poorly furnished living room with my laptop and notes, my tendency to procrastinate always results in learning something new about those I live with and I never regret the time I spend with my roomies, laughing over my failed attempt at making notecards. Studying is a necessary evil of college life, but it’s good to have a laugh or two in between hitting the books.
5. Blow Off Your Responsibilities at Least Once Together
Now, this isn’t ordinarily advice I’d give to young, impressionable students looking to excel during their time here at the University, but one thing about living with other people is the collective stress that always strikes at important points during the semester. Plan for a weekend when everyone will be home and shelve your responsibilities for a few hours. Don’t worry, come Sunday morning you’re free to resume your frantic panicking, but do yourself and your roommates, a favor and blow off some steam over a bowl of popcorn or some hot cocoa. Vent! Watch awful movies and relax. Your roommates understand better than anyone the heavy burdens you carry as a student, as they are likely going through the same thing and they witness your freak-outs first hand. I don’t always have the foresight to say, “hey, I need a break,” but I have awesome housemates who take the time and energy to plan for bonding nights just like this, and I am always endlessly grateful for the opportunity to unwind and hang out with the crazy people I have chosen to co-exist with.
These are just a few ideas that can jumpstart the bonding process. If you’re as lucky as I am, you might manage to make a few lifelong friends along the way.