How to Survive the Roommate Experience

As the regular school term will soon be coming to a close, it's time for students who will be going off to college to consider the changes and new adjustments in their lives. Whether this includes dorm life with new people or off-campus living, it is wise to note that some planning and communication beforehand is the best preparation to ensure a smooth transition.

For students who get along well with their friends in general, this is no guarantee that sharing the same living-space will be free of friction and conflict. Discussing and resolving potential issues in advance is a very good idea.

Important topics which can make or break a satisfactory roommate situation include:

The financial aspects of the arrangement-- "who will be responsible for paying for what." In off-campus housing, this usually includes rent, utilities, personal expenditures, and household needs. Although it would seem to be obvious, potential problems can be avoided if it is clear from the beginning that each person is responsible for his own share of the residence and its upkeep-- eliminating the too-frequent occurrence of one student being irresponsible with his funds and expecting his "roomies" to cover his share.

The use of possessions is also a subject that necessitates discussion. As each arrangement is different based on the individuals and their specific preferences, it should be decided beforehand which items are to be considered personal property and what will be for everyone's use. This covers everything from clothing to CD collections; each person's input should be respected, as some students are more comfortable with considering such things to be "communal property" and others would prefer to not share their possessions. Some, also, may be fine with sharing their items with their roommates, but object to these things being lent out to others without the owner's permission.

Clean-up can be an area of friction amongst students who have never lived together under the same roof! It can be a problem if one person is a "neat-freak" and the other is messy, of course, but difficulties can also arise if one person feels it is o.k. to shirk all responsibility for keeping the residence in an orderly state and allowing his roomies to pick up the slack. Each student's habits, standards and quirks should be taken into consideration, and a basic framework decided upon which is agreeable to all.

Very important to the success of one's college education is for the students to come to a workable agreement regarding study habits. If one needs peace and quiet during his study time and the other prefers noise or all-night parties, it is essential for them to work out in advance a compromise that does not infringe upon either student's study needs.

Students who are leaving the family home to "go out into the world" must be prepared to face the fact that life is not without rules, limits, compromise. In an arrangement of two or more college students sharing the same living-space, it is important to realize the need for planning, compromise, and conflict-resolution. It's not surprising how much difficulty can occur with such topics as "whose turn it is" to deal with a task, or "who drank the last of my coffee?!"-- but most potential problems can be prevented by advance planning and cooperation, and will make the sharing of "mutual space" a rewarding, enjoyable experience.