Preparing For Your New Roommate

Many high school seniors are finalizing their college decisions and getting their living arrangements settled. College comes with many ups and downs. Sometimes your new roommate will cause ups, downs, or both! Living with a new person or a stranger is not always easy but we have some tricks to keep the peace in the dorm room.

• Try communicating via email, phone, or Facebook. Sometimes it can be hard to reach people but it is not impossible. Your university should provide you with at least one form of contact information for your new roommate. Trust me, you will want to talk to your roommate before you first meet them.

• Be open. This experience could be really great for you and your roommate! You may even walk away great friends! Be ready to find out somethings you never thought you would know about a person, like their snoring patterns or their sleeptalk habits!

• It is important to remember that your roommate is in the same situation you are! You are new to each other. Take some time to meet and know your new roomie. You may have more in common than you think! Don’t act like you are the only one going through the drama. You can look down your hall and find a handful of girls who are going through the same thing!

• Discuss your dorm room rules and how you would like the room to be. If you need to be in bed at a specific time, kindly tell your roommate that you would appreciate it quiet at a certain time. Lay down the law before it’s too late, or you will be fighting in no time. Don’t expect your new roommate to think the same way you do.

• Understand that your roomie might not have all the same beliefs and opinions you do. Be flexible with your roommate. They cannot read your mind, so don’t expect them to! They might think that it is acceptable to stay up until 3 a.m. every night. If you think differently make sure you discuss it!

• Establish who is bringing what for the room. If you are not willing to share your refrigerator space make sure your roommate knows that. The need for two TVs seems ridiculous, but if you aren’t willing to share that is something your new roommate will need to know beforehand.

I had a good experience with my roommate but know some people whose experience was different. It is important to get along with your roommate because at the end of the day you still have to live with them! Communication is key!

Good luck!!

 

With love,

Kat VonD

I’m reading The Living World