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If you’re a college student, there’s a 100 percent chance you’ve either heard someone complain about their roommate or it’s you doing the complaining. From leaving dishes in the sink, having a friend’s guests overstay their welcome, or loud noises while you’re trying to sleep, living with a roommate is arguably one of the hardest things to do as a young adult.
Despite the inevitable treachery, usually having a roommate is quite enjoyable for most people a lot of the time. The rent is cheaper, you can split bills and cleaning duties, and you’ve essentially got a companion 24/7.
With college move-in around the corner, or already here, for hundreds of thousands of students, here are five things to remember before moving in with a roommate this year.
Respect Their Space
Just as you want someone else to respect your space, it’s important to respect others as well. Barging in on your roommate while they have their door closed or taking a clothing item from their closet with the intention of returning it is never okay. In fact, 99% of people report that respect is the most important quality in a roommate.
Don’t Eat Their Food
Need a surefire way to damage a relationship with a roommate? Eat their food. When you’re living on a budget, every last drop of milk or piece of bread counts. If you are guilty of doing this in the past, don’t make it a habit.
Trust me, your roommate will notice eventually.
Clean Up After Yourself
College students are inherently messy. They hate taking out the trash, doing the dishes, and folding laundry. Chances are, you will have to coexist with a messy roommate if you haven’t already and it will get on your nerves. To avoid this, talk about expectations for chores ahead of time so all the responsibility doesn’t fall on one person the majority of the time.
Quiet Down
What a wonderful world it would be if all apartments had soundproof walls. Unfortunately, that isn’t a reality. From being woken up before your alarm or not being able to fall asleep because of loud music, talking, and more, being disrupted by someone else’s noise is irritating. Remember to quiet down.
Ask Before Inviting
While you may be excited to finally be away from parents and the hassle of having to ask them before a friend comes over, your roommate deserves a heads up too. While they don’t necessarily have the right to tell you if a friend can or can not come over, asking their input shows that you respect their opinion and want to make sure they feel comfortable in their own safe space. Few things are more uncomfortable than having a guest, that isn’t your guest, overstay their welcome in your space and a large majority of people agree according to a survey by Joybird.
At the end of the day, always respect your roommate and treat them how you would like to be treated. Roommate wars are fun for no one. It puts a damper on your overall mood and school experience.
If you are still looking for roommates, try Diggz to find a roommate that will be a good fit.
