5 Tips on How to Get Along with Your Roommate

One of the first thoughts that came to mind after receiving my Brandeis acceptance letter was "I hope that I am able to get along with my roommate..." We've all heard the horror stories: the roommate who doesn't go to bed until four am, the roommate who has an anger management problem, the roommate who steals your girlfriend, etc etc... Luckily, my roommate ended up being my best friend. However, if there is one thing I learned freshman year it is how to live with another person. Listed below are five tips based on first hand experience on how to strengthen and maintain a relationship your roommate.

1. Rellllllllllllllllllax

I think the biggest mistake I made was trying too hard. I'm one of those people who really wants to be friends with everyone, so when I met my roommate I was probably a bit overbearing. When you meet your roommate don't worry! He/She is probably just as nervous as you are. Plus, if you relax, you're much more likely to be better company : )

2. Don't think that you're too good to talk to your roommate

As in any institution, there are many different cliques in college. However, even if you think that you're the greatest thing to happen to planet Earth, or that you're far too important to be sharing a room with someone, do not think that you are too good to be friends with your roommate. The result could be very unfavorable. After all, when most people go to college they go to a place where they know very few people. If you are able to make a good friend with your roommate, you will be able to have someone to count on that you will be seeing the majority of the time at your stay at university. If you don't talk to your roommate, you may find yourself in a situation when you locked yourself out of your room and desperately need to get a book from your room quickly. However, you don't have your roommates phone number and have to waste two hours of your life waiting for the campus police to come and open your door...

3. Be open to new ideas

This kind of goes along with number two. Too many times I have seen roommates never hang out because they claim to not have anything in common. In cases such as these both parties are at fault. College its a time to TRY NEW THINGS. In fact, many people say that college is the last time in your life to try new things. If you're roommate wants to go sky diving and you've never gone sky diving then go sky diving! (Alright, maybe this is a bit extreme, but you get the point : ) Also, try to talk convince your roommate as to why your hobbies are so much fun. This year my roommate kept telling me how amazing ultimate frisbee is, and because of him I ended up joining the team and having a great time!

4. Have fun

Number of for may be implied in number three, but I believe that reminding someone of the obvious is often very helpful. Not only should you try new things in college, but you should be open to the idea that you may have a good deal of fun participating in new activities. Don't ever think to yourself "I'm only doing this to try and build a friendship with my roommate." Instead, be positive!!!!!!!! Before trying any new activity in college, regardless of whether or not your with your roommate, think to yourself "No matter what I'm about to do I'm going to have fun doing it." Believe me, having a positive attitude can take you a very long way towards having an amazing freshman year.

5. Nothing "disrespectful" (eg. hooking up with your roommates ex, stealing personal items, bringing people back at 4 am on a Monday, etc etc...)

Remember, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with the person sleeping in the bed next to you. Thus, not only do you want to try and be nice by relating to your roommate, you should also be nice by not stepping on your roommates personal life. After all, do you really want to live with someone that hates you because you decided to have an intimate night with his/her significant other? Also, no matter how well you get along with your roommate, ask him before taking his possessions. This formality may seem insignificant, but you will find that all parties are happier if you ask before taking : )

I hope that you've found this advice helpful. And hey! If your play your cards right, you just may end up living with someone who you really enjoy. Believe me, living with someone that you really enjoy can in itself make for an amazing year of school : )