If you are about to start your first year at college, you probably already signed away your housing contract, which most likely included a roommate. And while having one friend right off the bat is definitely comforting, it’s a lot more difficult to maintain a good friendship with someone who is your roommate. In fact, there are plenty of friendships that have been destroyed by housing arrangements! So minimize the risk of roommate clashes by following these roommate commandments!
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1. Thou Shall Not Borrow Clothes without Asking
Hey, if you end up with a roommate who lets you borrow some of the best pieces from her closet then that’s great, but don’t take advantage of such a privilege. Nobody likes it when people overstep boundaries; it definitely makes things uncomfortable! So ask before you take and always make sure to return things to their rightful owner. Oh and share back, it’s all about giving and getting!
2. Thou Shall Respect Each Other’s Space
Sharing one room with another person for a year can often be stressful no matter how compatible you might be as roommates, which is why giving each other space is everything. You have to learn how to sense the other person’s mood and not get in their way at the wrong time, and hopefully your roommate will do the same.
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3. Thou Shall Clean Your Side of the Room
Sometimes you can get paired with a person who is messy and other times you’ll get someone who is a complete neat freak, but both of you have to agree on a certain level of cleanliness and maintain it. Today there are electronic questionnaires that match up compatible students based on how clean they are, what time they go to sleep, etc but computers make mistakes and you have to be prepared for it.
4. Thou Shall Not Be Passive Aggressive
Chances are you are going to get into arguments with your roommate, but the path to working things out solely relies on open communication. If either of you chooses to be passive aggressive, things can escalate and your friendship will definitely be a lot harder to mend. So choose to talk things out and share your feelings, and let the other person know what’s going through your head!
5. Thou Shall Share and Contribute to the Room
If your roommate is bringing a fridge, fan, blender and a microwave for both of you to use, you have to pitch in and bring something that both of you will share. Communicate with each other before the move in day and coordinate all of the items that you will be bringing! Doing this can be fun, sharing things can bring you closer together and, of course, save you money along the way.
6. Thou Shall Be Considerate with Guests at All Times
Since your room isn't just your room, you have to be considerate when you have guests over. It matters who it is, when they are coming over and how long they are staying for. While you can definitely talk things out with your roommate and come to an agreement, keep in mind that sometimes all your roommate wants to do is come back to the room, get some relaxation time in or study for the next exam.
7. Thou Shall Spend Quality Time with One Another
While you don’t necessarily need to be attached at the hip at all times just because you are roommates, you should still designate hours to get to know one another. You’ll be living together for the whole year and things would definitely be more fun if you actually became good friends. So go out together, introduce your friends to one another and make memories!
As you follow these commandments, hopefully your roommate does the same and you’ll end up building a strong friendship! Which other commandments would you add to the list?
Comments
Kendall: I'm just in 8th grade and I'm 13, I find this interesting for college one day. But anyway, great post! :)
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