Are you a university freshman who will be sharing accommodation when the semester starts? Then you need to prepare yourself and know some tips just in case your expectations of your new roommates turn out differently.
So, in an idealistic scenario, you and your roomie or roomies are the best of friends, you share items and have a lot of fun together but maybe in a realistic scenario, you and your roommates have a more passive-aggressive relationship.
You can go by the following tips so that you and your roommates can live in peace, as much as possible, without necessarily being besties but not enemies either.
Texting or calling your roommate once you have been assigned a room is a great way to establish a relationship. You can even discuss who will bring what so you do not spend too much money when your roomie has similar items. But do not be the annoying person who keeps calling and calling over the smallest things.
Do not go into Uni thinking you and your roommate will kick it off immediately and be best friends. It may take some time or it may not happen at all and that is perfectly okay. Not everyone has to be your friend. Do not put pressure on yourself to be a certain type of way to prove a point.
Set boundaries, but also, try not to be too guarded.
Communication is key when you are living with anyone, whether the person is a total stranger or you were friends prior to becoming roomies. Make sure to set ground rules about common issues like having friends in the room, bedtime hours, music preferences, sharing the refrigerator or any other items, etc. Being aware of each other’s needs will make your apartment a much more peaceful place.
However, you will need to communicate properly instead of being passive-aggressive or making side comments. Let your roommate know when they are doing something to upset you, and talk it out. It is probably unintentional.
Negotiating is very necessary if one of you likes to have people over, so as not to upset the other. If you are the roommate who does not like to have people over, try to be understanding, but let them know if it makes you uncomfortable and find a way around it. Also, If you like to study late, you can do that in a study room instead of keeping the lights on when your roommate wants to sleep.
This is very important so that you or your roommate is not the only one sweeping, emptying the bin or scrubbing the bathroom, as this can be very annoying and cause arguments.
Also, do well to track expenses with your roomie if they always use the ‘I forgot my wallet’ or the ‘I don’t have physical cash’ excuses whenever an expense comes up so that you are not the only one always paying for stuff you both benefit from.
You don’t have to be besties with your roomies, but you can take an interest in each other’s lives. Does he/she always stream Netflix on her laptop? Suggest watching a movie together in the room with snacks. You can also hang out outside campus during the weekend, and go to church together.
Doing things together on a semi-regular basis means you’ll be more likely to talk about issues, rather than in awkward, forced chats and you can actually become friends.
But remember, do not force it. Not everyone will like that and may consider it intruding so try to be as respectful as possible, read the room and communicate in the best way at all times and you will be just fine.
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