Get Along with Your Roommate with these 3 Tips!
Having a roommate in college is inevitable for most people. Your roommate experience, for better or worse, is a chance to learn about conflict resolution, empathy, and how to have a sense of humor when life gets weird or unpleasant. The Lodges at Rolla wants to share a few tips to help you get along with your next college roommate.
1. Set Rules Upfront
Even if things seem great in the beginning, as fallible, illogical humans, it’s inevitable that some kind of disagreement will arise down the road. And the moment you have a disagreement is the worst time to decide to draw up some house rules. So, while it may be awkward at first, having a frank conversation with your roommate in the first few days in an effort to set some rules will prove to be helpful long term. Whether it be about cleaning the room, listening to music or having friends over, letting your roommate know what might make you uncomfortable is important.
Now, the rules don't have to be a formal, notarized, watermarked document. It doesn’t have to be long, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. All it needs to include are a few standards the two of you agree to abide by, as well as the procedure for handling disagreements or violations of the standards. That second part is the key. Don’t just make a list of what you should and shouldn’t do–make a plan for what you’ll do when things go wrong.
2. Practice Empathy and Awareness
It’s easy to get mad at your roommate and think that they’re some kind of villain put in your life to torture you. But no matter how incompatible the two of you are, no matter how much you may disagree, remember that your roommate is still a person with feelings, hopes, and dreams. Practice empathy, and recognize that from their perspective you’re the one who’s in the wrong.
Remember, it's very easy to take for granted that your way is the only way of doing things in your perspective. Same goes for your roommate. Your different lifestyles, however, could be a source of potential discomfort or annoyance for your roommate. Because of this, it’s important to remain aware of how your actions might affect your roommate. Just being openly aware of the potential pain points of your roommate-ship can reduce the stresses that living with someone can cause.
3. Address Disagreements Openly and Respectfully
Having a roommate may sound fun and even adventurously magical. The reality is, yes it can be fun, but yes, you will run into conflicts and have disagreements. There's simply no such thing as a perfect roommate relationship. The keys to making roommate-ships work, is by resolving disagreements with your roommate in a respectful manner and to use open communication.
One of the worst things you can do is to bottle up your annoyances and frustrations. Chances are much higher of a nasty outburst when communication between roommates is almost non-existent. So, keep this in mind: The first one to know about a roommate conflict should be the roommate. Open communication and respect are key to a healthy roommate-ship.
Check Out Our Roommate Matching Profile!
At the end of the day, having a roommate is a way to make efficient use of limited living space while also saving money for both of you. As long as the two of you respect each other and live together pleasantly, that’s all you need. Having a tough time finding someone you feel would be a compatible roommate to split responsibilities? Lucky for you, we've got a roommate matching program that helps us help YOU match with a compatible roommate! Check out or website to learn more about our roommate matching profile!
It’s easy to get mad at your roommate and think that they’re some kind of villain put in your life to torture you. But no matter how incompatible the two of you are, no matter how much you may disagree, remember that your roommate is still a person with feelings, hopes, and dreams. Practice empathy, and recognize that from their perspective you’re the one who’s in the wrong.
Remember, it's very easy to take for granted that your way is the only way of doing things in your perspective. Same goes for your roommate. Your different lifestyles, however, could be a source of potential discomfort or annoyance for your roommate. Because of this, it’s important to remain aware of how your actions might affect your roommate. Just being openly aware of the potential pain points of your roommate-ship can reduce the stresses that living with someone can cause.
3. Address Disagreements Openly and Respectfully
Having a roommate may sound fun and even adventurously magical. The reality is, yes it can be fun, but yes, you will run into conflicts and have disagreements. There's simply no such thing as a perfect roommate relationship. The keys to making roommate-ships work, is by resolving disagreements with your roommate in a respectful manner and to use open communication.
One of the worst things you can do is to bottle up your annoyances and frustrations. Chances are much higher of a nasty outburst when communication between roommates is almost non-existent. So, keep this in mind: The first one to know about a roommate conflict should be the roommate. Open communication and respect are key to a healthy roommate-ship.
At the end of the day, having a roommate is a way to make efficient use of limited living space while also saving money for both of you. As long as the two of you respect each other and live together pleasantly, that’s all you need. Having a tough time finding someone you feel would be a compatible roommate to split responsibilities? Lucky for you, we've got a roommate matching program that helps us help YOU match with a compatible roommate! Check out or website to learn more about our roommate matching profile!
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