Learning Curve: Roommates

You've bought all the essentials for your dorm room, now how do you survive the year living with one or more other people? I found this really good list online, because I'm always looking for cool list like this one for you guys, of tips that make living with roommates easier or at least bearable.

1. Define rules from the beginning: This really helps with issues that come up during the year. Make sure your roommate knows from the beginning which things you're willing to share and which things you aren't. My roommate and I did that at the very beginning of the year. It really helped us avoid a lot of problems about posession and sharing.

2. Address problems when they're still small: Don't wait until the problem becomes unmanagable to deal with. If you have a problem with your roommate or something they are doing, speak up about it! They probably don't know that they've done anything to offend or upset you. You're family knows all your pet peeves, but your room mate is new to all of them. Speak up, let them know what's going on, they're probably more than willing to work towards a solution.

3. Respect their stuff: Treat your roommate's things the way you would want them to treat yours. Don't take anything without first asking and recieving permission from your roommate.

4. Visitors: This is a HUGE deal, so don't take it lightly. Discuss with your roommate when visitors are allowed to come over and how late they can stay. Some halls, like mine, had rules about when guys could be on the girls side of the hall and vise versa. Make sure your roommate tells their friends some basic rules about what you do & don't allow in your room.

5. Lock doors & windows: Seems like a small deal, but you don't want to be the one replacing your roommates laptop because you left the door open for a few minutes to talk to a friend down the hall.

6. Be open to new things: More than likely, you and your roommate will have very different taste in t.v. shows, music, hobbies, etc. You've both been rasied differently, so be open to the new things that your roommate is going to bring into your life. It's all part of the college experience. My roommate and I were as different as night & day when it came to a lot of things, but I learned to like a few new t.v. shows and she figured out that the Jonas Brothers aren't all that bad.

7. Be open to change: College is all about change and adapting to new things. Experiences you have in college will make you see the world in a different light. Don't be afraid to change your opinions or taste.

8. Be friendly, but don't expect to be best friends: Exactly how my roommate and I were. I was nice to her, but she isn't one of my best friends. Just because you don't get along perfectly doesn't mean you should be rude or disrespect them. Try the best you can to get along, but if it gets to be too much, or you know that there is no way you will ever get along, see if you can transfer rooms or get another roommate. This usually only works in severe cases and is very permanent, so make sure if you change roommates, that you can deal with it for the rest of the year.

9. Address big problems ASAP: Once you've been in school for a few months, you may discover that your roommate likes to stay out late with friends and come in early in the morning, waking you up. If your roommate is like mine, they'll go out with friends and then not come home that night, making you wonder if you should call the police. If this becomes a bigger problem than them just staying out late, talk to them about it as soon as you can. Let them know that it's bothering you and you would like them to try to come in earlier. Try to come up with a possible solution to the situation that works for you and then discuss how your roommate can work towards it.

10: Follow the Golden Rule: If all else fails, this is a great fall back. Treat your roommate how you would want them to treat you. Maybe they'll pick up on this and change a few of their habits that get on your nerves. Just remember that there are probably a few of your habits that get on their nerves.

Quote to live by: "Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi