How to Get Along With Your New Roomie in College
Having a new roomie is usually a challenging experience because you will adjust some habits to avoid conflicts. How you get along with your roommate can determine how enjoyable and productive your semester will be. Getting along will help you enjoy a conducive environment; otherwise, you might avoid coming to your room early or studying there. Here’s how to get along with your new roomie.
Be Honest About Your Expectations
Be honest about your expectations from the start to give your roommate a clear understanding of what you expect of them. Sit with your roomie to discuss issues like the accepted noise levels. You don’t want a room where you can’t study or do assignments due to noise distractions. Your academic performance will start dwindling, or you might depend on an essay writing service to get your schoolwork done.
Don’t compromise for something you are uncomfortable with unless you find yourself in a stalemate and someone needs to give away something for you two to coexist. Expectations form a good foundation for allowing everyone to understand what the other expects of them, and this will limit the likelihood of any conflicts.
Address Issues Early
One thing you should keep in mind is that when you postpone issues and fail to address them in time, they will eventually grow into conflicts. Problems are easier to solve when they are small rather than waiting for them to get out of control. If your roomie is doing something you don’t like, you should address the situation early before it becomes a serious issue, which creates a communication barrier.
Be Flexible
As the number of international students continues to grow, the chances of having an international roommate increase. There is a great chance that you might get a roomie from a different country or different continent. Your cultures will likely differ, and flexibility will be needed to accept such differences. You cannot expect someone to shift their cultural dogmas because you are against them. In such a scenario, you should be willing to live with them as they are and learn some things from their culture.
Buy a Set of Headphones
People have different preferences for podcasts and music. You might be irritating your roommate when you constantly play your podcasts and music on loudspeakers, but they might not have the courage to tell you. To avoid getting into arguments because of such things, you should consider buying a set of headphones. Even if the two of you listen to the same music genre, you might want to listen to music at night before you sleep, which might interrupt your roommate’s sleep schedule. You can listen to whatever you want without bothering your roomie with your headphones.
Practice the Virtue of Sharing
Sharing a room doesn’t mean you have to share everything, but there are instances when you should practice sharing to improve your relationship. Share simple things like cookies, as such small gestures can form the basis of a good friendship. If your roomie lacks something you have, don’t wait for them to ask for help; take the bold step and offer it to them to enhance your relationship.
Coordinate Study Habits
In the dorm, people do their homework and even study for exams. Everyone has a different schedule when it comes to exam preparations and studying. Some prefer to study at night, while some find it challenging to study after a long and hard day and would rather wake up early to study. Having different study styles can create discomfort in the room and form the basis for a conflict. You should reach an agreement on the times when the lights and music should be turned off. It would also be wise to avoid bringing friends to your room when your roommate is busy with schoolwork to avoid interfering with their studies.
Communicate
Your roommate is the closest person to your family on campus, so communicating with them and sharing your problems is important. Inform your roomie when there is a family emergency, if you have an exam the next day, or if something is bothering you. When you communicate, your roommate gets to have a better understanding of your situation, and they can show you empathy during the process. If they don’t know what is going on, they might not know how to help you and might interpret your mood change as being angry at them.
Ensure Your Space Is Clean
If your room is always messy, you will likely get into conflict with your roomie. Roommates share various spaces, and it would be wise to clean after using such spaces. If your clothes are all over the place, your trash is overflowing, and your books are everywhere, you might have a problem if you have a tidy roommate. Besides, a disorganized and untidy room isn’t motivating to study there; it’s a distraction as the mind will not be focused on books. It can be inconvenient for your roomie who might want to do an assignment. They might postpone the task, look for somewhere else to do it, or pay for essay.
Find an Alternative Study Spot
Once in a while, everyone needs some personal space, and your roomie will not be able to enjoy this space if you are always there. Trying to complete every task in the same room when another person is there can be challenging. It can be a distraction for other people who are constantly having someone around. Find an alternative study space to help you spend some time away from your room and give your roommate some personal space.
Takeaway
Having a new roomie in college can come with some challenges, but you don’t need to worry. Take time to set some expectations and ground rules to help guide you. While setting these rules, it is important to be flexible, especially when you have a roommate from a different culture who might have different practices. Moreover, always communicate about any challenges to resolve any conflict early. With these strategies, you will be able to have a good time with your roomie.