Starting fresh at University is difficult on all accords. The greasy cheeseburger from the SAC food court never tastes quite as good as mom’s homemade dishes. The fashion ranges from whether students should wear red or blue plaid pajamas to their 3 p.m. classes. And suddenly, you go from having a bat cave of your very own to sharing a room with a perfect stranger.
Sometimes, you luck out. You’re matched with the perfect roommate – the one who loves Eminem’s new CD just as much as you do, who brings a Playstation 3, and who always has extra No. 2 pencils on the day of your calculus midterm. But what happens when you aren’t so lucky?
Like silly bands, roommates come in all different shapes and sizes. And each one will do as they please to make college the best four years of his or her life. Not necessarily yours.
You may be woken up at 5 a.m. daily, by a roommate that insists it is the optimal time to take a jog around Roth Pond. Or, you may feel like a third wheel in your own room, as your roommate’s boyfriend constantly spends the night. Maybe your roommate is a fan of Thirsty Thursdays. And Thirsty Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. You may misplace your graphing calculator. And then spot your roommate using it. Along with your lost iPod. Maybe you’ll even find a voodoo doll with your name on it under your roommate’s bed.
If your roommate displays one or more of these behavioral patterns – don’t be alarmed. The key is always communication. Chances are that your roommate isn’t a mind reader and won’t know what you’re thinking until you share your thoughts. So, suggest taking an evening jog together. Share your schedules and establish visiting hours, including hours of privacy. Offer to be his wingman if he limits his partying to weekends. Remind your roommate that you’d love to share – as long as she asks first.
If all else fails, call your Residential Advisor to mediate. Worst case scenario? They’ll put you on the waiting list to transfer rooms. And hopefully the next roommate will have that Playstation 3. And two controllers.
