Check out the first of the #wfufreshmenproblems Roommate Disaster Series here! Here’s the second installment, and look out for the third post next week!
Help! I’m rooming with “The Man Eater!”
My roomie and her BF broke up right before she came to Wake, so the girl’s on a mission to really … um, expand her horizons. Lately, she’s been hooking up with this one guy, and they always come back to our room, which I don’t understand. Just go to his! I went to take a shower and came back to find them getting busy in her bed. Um hello you two, I kind of need to put clothes on?! I try to be understanding, but I can’t take it anymore. I seriously didn’t sign up for a triple … with a dude. #wfufreshmenproblems
Advice: You and your roommate need to have a discussion about respect. Lay down the law when it comes to guys. Now that you know this is going to be a regular thing, you need to establish when he can and can’t come over. If anything, she should at least text you to warn you if he’s paying a little visit. If she doesn’t like your suggestions, simply suggest they take their little romp to his room … or car.
Help! I’m rooming with “The Slob!”
My roommate is the biggest slob ever. Dirty clothes are scattered all over her (and sometimes my) bed. Crusty plates, spoons and mugs clutter our sink. Hair balls litter our carpet. Apple cores and banana peels are strewn across her desk. And empty Chik-fil-A wrappers serve as wallpaper. #wfufreshmenproblems
Advice: Ew! There is only so much Febreze can fix. Definitely call out your roomie and not in an indirect way (i.e. don’t say “wait … do you smell that?”). Let her know that you can’t focus, live or let alone breathe in a state of filth. Try to set a cleaning schedule where you both agree to empty your garbage every Friday and vacuum every Monday, etc. You really don’t need to get sick as a result of living in a garbage dump.
Help! I’m rooming with “The OCD Neat-Freak!”
My roomie has to clean everything in sight. As soon as I leave the room, she wipes down all the surfaces with Clorox wipes, including my desk! Sometimes she even puts my stuff away in different places, like under the sink or in my drawers. I just want her to get her super sanitized hands off my stuff. #wfufreshmenproblems
Advice: Personal space is sacred, and no one likes someone else’s fingers all over their belongings, no matter how clean they may be. Confront your roomie in a gentle way. Say something like, “I noticed you cleaned today and shifted around some of my stuff—how about next time you just ask me to clean it? I’d be more than happy too, if you let me know how I can help.” The fact that you’re volunteering to clean will probably make her so happy that the whole problem will be resolved!
Help! I’m rooming with “The Serial Skypist!”
At first I just thought my roommate had a strange tendency to talk to herself all the time, until I realized she’s a serial Skypist! She talks to her friends from home, at other schools, her boyfriend … I’ve even caught her Skyping with her dog. It’s really annoying to have to listen to bits and pieces of her conversations 24/7. #wfufreshmenproblems
Advice: When it comes down to it, Serial skyping is a symptom of home-sickness. Sounds like your roomie is longing to be as close to her friends, boyfriend and family as possible. But it doesn’t mean that she has to be constantly blabbing in your room. Ask if she’ll take her laptop into the hall or lounge, and you won’t have any more issues. Of course, the occasional Skype is fine is she makes sure it’s okay with you. And if she really wants to chat that badly, she’ll oblige.