Tips for Living with a College Roommate

Many Mibbians are dealing with heading to college for the first time, and for many of those Mibbians, this will be their first time living with a roommate. Although living with a roommate can be a great, fun experience, when you’re locked in a small space with some, you’re sure to step on one another’s toes. Hopefully, these tips will make living with a roommate a little bit easier.

Set Up Guidelines

Since most people don’t know their roommates before college roommate week, it is important to set up guidelines that you would both like to be followed. Maybe you would like to set a designated lights out time on school nights, or a no guest rule on days when the other has a test. Another thing roommates tend to fight about is significant others, so you will want to set guidelines early on. Will you allow significant others to spend the night or will they have to leave by a certain time? The important thing is that both of you clearly state what will fly and what won’t.

Show Respect

Everyone wants to be treated with respect and your roommate probably isn’t the exception. If you show your roommate respect, they will most likely do the same to you. It is important to show respect when handling your roommate’s things, or don’t handle them at all. You wouldn’t want your roommate going through your things, so don’t rummage through theirs.

Keep Things Clean

You may have been able to keep a messy room at home, but when you’re living with a roommate it is best to keep your things clean. By helping to clean up after yourself, you and your roommate will have less to argue about, and your living experience will be much better.

Have Other Friends

I can’t stress this enough. It is very important to have friends outside of your roommate. While it is great to be friends with your roommate, you will inevitably get on one another’s nerves, so it is vital to your roommate relationship that you have other, separate friends.