The transition from life at home to a dorm room is drastic. Suddenly being thrust into a cramped, smelly room with a girl, or possibly multiple girls that you barely know can prove to be one of the biggest challenges of college. But it doesn’t have to be! The first thing to understand is that getting along with your roommate isn’t a skill that people are born with, it must be learned. Sometimes it takes hard work to get your room in order and to learn how your roommates function and that’s totally okay! You don’t have to be perfect from the start, and trust me your roommates won’t be either. Thankfully, there are tons of tips to help make you the best roommate possible.
- Be Aware Of Yourself
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Being aware of how you act and carry yourself can be harder than you would think. To be more mindful of your actions, ask a parent or friend that has known you for a long time to help. They will more easily be able to pick out anything that might cause trouble with your roommate that you may not be aware of. Even if you feel that you can’t control some of the quirky habits you have, just knowing you have them is a step in the right direction to being a good roommate.
- Don’t Be A Slob!
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Cleaning up after yourself is the easiest way to score some brownie points with your roommate. If you eat in your room or sprawl out your homework all over the floor, clean up before you leave. No roommate will be happy when you leave your shared space a mess. Leaving out old food can be an especially big sore spot sometimes between roommates. No one likes the smell of rotting food or having bugs suddenly infest your room. You don’t have to be a neat freak to be a good roommate, but you do have to keep up on the bare essentials. This will keep you from causing any future arguments and will show your mutual respect for your roommate.
- Be Your Roommate’s Helping Hand
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If your roommate ever needs a small favor, be there for them! If they forget their folder for an important class in your room, bring it to them. Any small favor that you can do for your roommate will make them feel cared for and loved. It helps majorly during the beginning of the relationship. Plus, down the road, it will probably make your roommate feel more inclined to help you in a moment of need.
- Don’t Be Afraid To Speak Up
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If something is bothering you about your room, or your roommate, don’t be afraid to tell them. Calmly approaching your roommate and being upfront about the issue is the best route to take. Sensitive topics are best handled if you don’t speak to your roommate in an accusatory manner. This keeps things from escalating and helps not hurt your roommate’s feelings. If your roommate takes your talk with them the wrong way and you feel that the problem won’t be able to be fixed, go for a compromise instead.
- Make No Assumptions
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If you don’t know how your roommate feels about something, don’t assume they’ll be ok with it if you decide to do it. For example, if you aren’t sure your roommate would be ok with you borrowing her hair straightener, don’t assume she would be. It only takes a couple of seconds to shoot her a quick text asking for permission. This can avoid a future argument between you and your roommate. Also, most likely, whatever your roommate’s answer is, she will appreciate that you thought to ask her before you used her stuff.
It can be difficult to have a roommate but hopefully these tips make the experience a little easier!