There comes a moment in time where many of us have to make a decision that may seem pretty tough: who do you choose to room with for the upcoming school year?
Do I pick my high school best friend, one of my sorority sisters (or some variation of this), or take a gamble with a complete stranger?
Sometimes it works out great (i.e. you rarely fight and you click well) and sometimes, it’s not so great. For those of us who ended up with the latter, sticking out a lease or school year with a roommate you don’t vibe with can seem like a daunting task.
For myself, it seemed like I never got the roommate thing right until I was a senior in college. I’m not good with strangers, the best friend thing didn’t work either and the sorority sister route only led to some pretty bad fights and the ultimate dissolution of our friendship. To stick out those long leases and/or school years that are requied for on-campus housing, I recommend the following tips.
1. Get involved
And I don’t mean this in the typical, campus tour-guide way. I mean find something—ANYTHING— to make some friends. There’s hundreds of organizations on every campus, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to find something that peaks your interest. Once you’re there, make friends! Ask some people from the organization to go grab dinner or coffee after a meeting. Get to know them because you’re bound to click with at least one person in the group. Soon enough, you’ll be out of your room more than you’re in it. Or, you’ll at least have people to keep you company there while you rant about your roommate.
2. Focus on your health
Need another great way to get out of that dorm or apartment? Utilize your campus recreation center! This is something that you pay for, regardless if you want to or not. Activities like yoga classes, aerobics classes, a swimming pool and more are all included in your recreation fee. You could easily knock out a few hours of the day there, away from your roommate, and in turn get in great shape too.
3. Get your grades up
A great way to spend your time is productively, and you can do this (sans roommate) in the library. Most college libraries contain vast space of different nooks and spaces to hide away for hours on end. Find one, crack open your books and watch your grades soar. You’ll also soon find that you’ve been out of your house for quite a while—better yet, away from your roommate.
4. Utilize your campus counselors
If your roommate is stressing you to the point of severe anxiety or anger, it may be time to check out the on-campus counseling center that you have available to you. Most campuses have free counseling for students, which is an awesome benefit. All it takes is a call, or sometimes you can even schedule an appointment online so you can talk to a professional. They can help talk you through tough roommate moments or let you rant to them without risk of it getting back to your roommate.