As a freshman in college, the stress to simply keep up with the added workload and end of semester study cramming (which is coming sooner than you think) is enough to leave your head spinning. Trying to do well at the very expensive school you’ve come to both love and hate is insignificant compared to the amount of pressure there is to be friends with your roommate. Here are some tips on how to bond with your roommate(s) when you have different personalities.
1. Try to find a common interest
Whether it’s watching scary movies or having a palate for Mexican food, you and your roommate are bound to have at least one thing in common. Use this common interest to break the ice. This allows you and your roommate to form a solid foundation upon which your friendship can grow.
2. Or a common dis-interest
Sometimes there’s nothing like some good old-fashioned hate to get the friendship going. Although hate shouldn’t be the ONLY thing in a friendship, there’s just something about sharing a common hate-terest that brings two people together. Whether it’s a core course neither of you can stand, the Kardashians or the meal swipe hours being too short at Casey’s, having something you can complain about with your roommate opens the communication channel with the simplest of words: “I hate…”
3. Take on a TV show together
Not only will this task include commitment, but it will provide conversation material for the rest of the week. Pretty soon you and your roommate will be sharing inside jokes about the show. Thankfully, there’s some great shows currently on Netflix and most people are usually open to trying a new show.
4. Help each other study
Setting down time to help your roommate study flashcards for his/her big test, proofreading their essays for FYSM or simply acting as a viewer so they can practice for their presentation assignment are all great and educational ways to bond with your roommate. This not only requires no commonalities whatsoever, but shows your roommate that you care.
5. Show an interest in what they care about
You don’t need to like the same things, but making the effort to know what their favorite color is and the name of their dog is a step towards friendship. Try spending the night with just you and your roommate and ask each other questions back and forth. Make it interesting and ask what their hidden talent is. They may surprise you.
6. Offer them food
There is literally nothing better than when your day is absolute garbage and you are over-stressed with all of the work you still need to get done, and an angel swoops in with your favorite snack (such as chocolate) to help you keep going. The sweet sentiment of sharing some of the snacks you’ve stored away for the week with your roommate is a simple act of kindness that makes a lasting impression.
7. Be Inclusive
The next time you plan an event with your friends, be sure to ask your roommate to come with. Not leaving your roommate out of all the fun is an important part of being a good roommate. Also, this gives your roommate an opportunity to get to know your friends.
Many freshmen get randomly placed with one or two other roommates. Despite being total strangers in the beginning, strong friendships can grow from the experience of being together 24/7. Still, the initial phases to becoming close can be incredibly tricky, especially when you both have different personalities. I had my own share of awkward attempts at getting to know my roommate better last year. While I don’t usually categorize myself as the “girly-girl” type, compared to my extremely sporty roommate of last year, I might as well have. This didn’t stop us from having our laughs throughout the two semesters we spent together. Bonding with a roommate is really all about the work both you and your roommate are willing to put into having a friendship. As long as there is mutual effort, you and your roommate will be besties in no time.