Some Suggestions for Living with your Roommate
Things to talk about with your roommate BEFORE moving in:
- What time do you go to bed/wake up? (ex: early riser, late owl, sleep until the last minute, etc.)
- What are your sleep patterns? (ex: like to have music on, must have complete darkness, etc.)
- How do you want to arrange the room? (keep in mind the rooms already have furniture in them and are limited spaces)
- When will you be arriving on move-in day? (the first person to arrive has more chance to move things around and make placements of items)
- How do you feel about guests coming over and overnight guests? (ex: I am ok with guests 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. daily, but no overnight guests, etc.)
- What are your study habits? (ex: study with music on, study with TV on, study in the lounge, etc.)
- What items do you own that you are willing to share? (ex: you can use my pots and pans but don’t touch my clothes)
- Who is bringing what? (no need to have two of everything—share!)
If things don’t go so smooth, what should you do?
- DON’T PANIC—you don’t need an immediate room change!
- Openly and honestly communicate with your roommate.
- Discuss what is bothering or concerning you with them directly.
- Don’t forget to listen!
- Try to compromise and meet halfway
- Keep issues between you and your roommate (don’t gossip to friends, post on facebook, talk loudly in the hallway about it, etc.)
- Respect their point of view.
- Contact your Resident Assistant (RA) to help problem solve with you. Your RA will revisit the Roommate Discussion Guide you reviewed at the beginning of the semester.