Five Tips on Living with a Roommate

Alright, college is around the corner. You’ve been accepted into your dream school, and you’re super excited—until your dorm assignment arrives.

You see what dorm you’ll be staying in, and what room number…and then you see their name.

Your roommate.

You’ve never had to share a room with someone before, and you’re nervous. I'm here to tell you that those feelings are perfectly okay.

It may seem daunting now, but trust me, it’s going to be fine!

Today, I’m going to share Five Tips for Living with Your Roommate that I learned from my Freshman year of college. This advice will hopefully provide some insight on dorm life and how amazing it can be!

Dorm life is one of the most essential parts to the ultimate college experience. It allows you to get acquainted with others and have a chance to see how other people live. I guarantee that if you are friendly with people on your floor, you'll find a new friend (or two, or three!) and you won't regret knocking on their door just to say hello. 

When I moved in Fall Semester of my Freshman Year, I was terribly nervous. I didn't know if my roommate would like me, if we would get along, or even if I would become friends (I'll save you the suspense—we became very great friends and we still talk regularly!) with her. While we finished decorating and putting our belongings away the first night, my roommate and I started to find out what a great pair we were together. We both enjoyed sports, singing, music, fashion, and Netflix (we became fast friends after we found out we both watched Supernatural, it was truly hilarious) and before I knew it, I felt like I was chatting with an old friend. 

We were both first year students, and we were both trying to figure college life out (helping each other however we could) and through that I learned a couple of tips that might help you adjust to living with your roommate! 

1. GIVE THEM SPACE 

I know you're missing home and you probably don't know anyone else on campus yet, but if you don't want to ruin your potential friendship with your roommate don't smother them. If you're constantly asking to hang out or following them around then they aren't going to want to hang out later.

Now, it's different if you're mutually saying, "Let's go get dinner!" or "Hey, want to run to Starbucks?" but if you find yourself constantly doing all of the asking you may want to back off for a while. You have to remember that they are mostly likely trying to figure out where they belong in the college scene too! Plus, this gives you a chance to make new friends around campus. Allow yourself time to figure out who you are BY YOURSELF before you become clingy with someone else.  

2. KEEP YOUR SIDE OF THE ROOM CLEAN

Please, please don't be the person with the unkempt side of the room! It not only reflects how you take care of your things, but it also communicates to your roommate that you don't care that you're sharing this living space with them. What if they decide to invite a friend over to your room and there are food wrappers, dirty laundry, and crumbs scattered across the floor? It's not very considerate and it can push your roommate to dislike you. Besides, would you want to live in a filthy room? Yuck. 

3. BE THOUGHTFUL 

You know your roomie loves Chai Tea? Pick some up when you make that Starbucks run for yourself! College can be very stressful at times, especially during your first year. I remember instances where I would be intensely working on a paper and my roommate would come through the door with some Dunkin' Donuts that she'd gotten for me. It made me feel very appreciated and encouraged, and sometimes when you live far away from home it's nice to receive a small. kind gesture like that. 

4. GET TO KNOW THEM 

Like I previously mentioned, my roommate and I discovered we had so much in common after we took the time to get to know each other. Sure, those icebreaker questions can be a bit awkward but you never know how similar you may be if you don't reach out and ask! 

And if it seems like you won't be best friends, don't freak out! First of all, focus on getting to know them before you think about best friendship. Second of all, when people are in a new environment, it may take them a while to get settled in—give them at least three weeks before you write them off. When someone is nervous, they generally don't act like themselves! (Also, be yourself. People can tell when you're being fake!) 

5. BE SUPPORTIVE 

As I said, college can be difficult. Between writing papers, doing homework, trying to socialize and get sleep you can begin to feel very run down (Here's a post I did a while back with some tips on how to combat college stress) and it's helpful to know that someone has your back and you're not alone. If your roomie needs to talk, listen. If they need a hug, offer one. If they get an 'A' on a paper they prepared very hard for, celebrate with them! You never know that someone is going through or how they handle stress. 

I could probably come up with about one billion tips to help you be the best roommate you can possibly be but honestly a part of it is figuring it out as you go! If you dive into college ready to learn from others (not just in the classroom) and discover who you are as an individual, you'll be fine. Just be yourself, be kind, and be loving. The rest will fall into place and who knows—you may make a great friend! 

I hope you found these tips helpful! Which one stood out to you the most? Let me know on Twitter or Tumblr! 

xx