It’s that time of year again. College students new and old are once again moving into their apartments and dorms for the new semester. For many students a roommate quickly becomes a friend and cohort. But even the best of friends risk tensions when living together for the first time. So in order to reduce and prevent these tensions it’s important to talk to your roommate. Especially before there has ever been a problem.
So with that in mind, here are 5 important things to discuss with your roommate before, or when you start, living together.
1. Who is bringing what?
Whether you’re in an apartment or a dorm this is an important topic, but especially so for a dorm where space is limited. Are you each bringing a gaming console? There may be no need to double up on games. Particularly if they are multiplayer games you’d likely be playing together. And do you need two mini fridges? Probably not. We’ve suggested what not to bring with you to college recently. Remember, you can save a lot of space and money by communicating early on who is bringing what.
2. Which things are for sharing?
Whether you’ll be sharing your stuff or not, it’s important to be clear and set boundaries right away. Maybe you’re more than happy to share your fridge space but it weirds you out when your roommate borrows your X-Box when you’re not around. Everyone has boundaries and things go much smoother when you make them clear right from the start. Make sure you specify which things are communal and which are personal so tensions don’t flare later.
3. How do you feel about guests?
During the day and especially overnight, it is important to know your roommate’s stance on the topic of visitors. Do they see the room as a place for alone-time or as a social hub? Be sure to let them know when your friend from out of town is visiting. Find out if they are comfortable with your significant other staying over. And let them know how you feel about it too. Since room will be tight from the beginning, it’s better to discuss these things in advance before a problem can arise.
4. What’s your stance on cleanliness?
Hopefully you’ll both keep your space at least a little clean. But it’s good to know exactly how clean they expect. Do they care if your dirty clothes are on the floor at the end of the day? Do you have a hamper or just a dirty pile? Who is taking out the trash? Find out where your roommates stands on this and try to be accommodating. You can work out a teamwork arrangement and share responsibilities for who’s responsible for what type of cleaning or tidying up.
5. What are your schedules like?
Maybe you work nights and your roommate has an early morning class. Something scheduling conflicts are unavoidable, but even then it’s better to know in advance when their alarm will be ringing than to wake up angry and confused. If one of you needs quiet time at an odd hour, know ahead of time and use some of the campus resources, like the library or lounge areas, to accommodate.
