Bwog begs you to follow this roommate advice!

Roommates. They’re the foundation of your college universe. From the first moment you meet them to move out, they are a part of your life no matter what. 

For some students, they’ve never lived with another person. The transition to sharing a space with other students can seem anxiety-inducing. Just follow some of my words and maybe your chore chart could be the prettiest on the floor!

1. Set up a cleaning schedule immediately: While it can sound a little overzealous, designated chores weekly are necessary. It’s easy to get busy with academics, so ensuring everyone knows their responsibilities is important. 
2. Discuss having people over: It’s important to think about how late can people come over? Do they mind having people over while you’re gone, or is your dorm strictly your own space as a unit? These can be things that seem secondary as you settle in, but it shouldn’t go unspoken. 
3. Morning and night routines: Does your roommate mind you working at your desk after they go to bed? What about taking calls, both during the day and night? Will one of you set alarms, or separate? You have to think about how your schedules may overlap. 
4. Will you share items: This is incredibly important to discuss as soon as possible to ensure no one becomes uncomfortable within the space. This boundary or lack of needs to be created. Are you okay with sharing electronics (phone chargers and so on) but not sharing food? Would you mind them finding clothing in your closet for their taking, or not?
5. Set rules for guests sleeping over: While this is in line with having people over, it’s an entirely different thing. Would you be okay with having other students sleeping over? Ok, now how do you feel about your friends or family staying in your dorm? And think about vice versa. It can be a lot to have a different individual in the space you’ve created.

And finally, it’s okay to not be your roommate’s best friend. Especially post orientation week, you may have a natural motivation to get closer with others, especially a person you’ll be living with for such a lengthy period of time. It’s okay to understand that you may not click immediately or at all for that matter. So long as you both maintain order and respect in your space, you’ll have a great year. 

Header Via Bwog Archives