Maintaining a Friendly Relationship with Your Roommate
Going off to college presents many new experiences. Previously rambunctious teenagers become adults – somewhat – and get that much desired independence they’ve been craving since the first time their parents told them "no." They come together on college campuses to maintain the exaggerated existence that’s known as "the college life." But day-to-day living can be severely hampered when you’re suffering through a volatile relationship with your roommate. Who wants to come home everyday to a person they hate? Nobody looks forward to living with an inconsiderate person who encroaches on their comfort, especially when they’re transitioning into a completely new environment.
If possible, the best preventative measure that can be taken is to choose the roommate on your own – perhaps someone with whom you hit it off during orientation, met through a roommate matching website like roommates.com, or sought out in a classified ad in the newspaper. A social networking site like Facebook can also serve as a useful tool because they allow you to research the person before you meet them, and vice versa. The goal is to find someone who shares the same interests and sensibilities so that you can coexist. When you communicate beforehand, ask questions about their living habits. Are you an early riser or a night owl? Do you have a lot of people over or do you keep to yourself? Are you neat or messy? Sometimes, students choose to room with friends because they’re already familiar with one another. However, some may urge you not to room together because unknown negative traits from either person could come to the forefront, thus ruining the friendship. But that’s a judgment that can only be made by the friends themselves.
Many college students enter situations where they don’t know their future roommate. Upon moving into the dorm or apartment, you should initially take a moment to get to know them. Try to gauge their interests and see if you have anything in common. If you share the same interests, you may hit it off and become friends from the start. In general, it’s important that you make a good first impression. You want them to know that you’re a friendly person who’s accessible, considerate, helpful and enjoyable to be around. Even if they just aren’t loads of fun, you should invest the necessary attention in the relationship to ensure life doesn’t become a nightmare.
Undoubtedly, disagreements will occur while living with your roommate. Perhaps they’ve eaten your ham sandwich, or threw a raucous party while you were visiting your parents for the weekend and failed to clean up the residual mess. Just like with any relationship, it’s important that you establish a solid line of communication. Although they may do something you don’t like, it’s important you make your feelings clear in a respectful manner. Yelling, passive aggressiveness or bottling it up will only worsen the situation. It’s important to know your roommate’s quirks. Put yourself in their shoes. Make compromises. If necessary, find a mediator. If you and your roommate keep your sanity, chances are, it’ll work out in the long run.
Did you enjoy this article?
Leave a Reply