How to Handle College Roommates

Photo: Passive Aggressive Notes

Roommates. They’re an inclusive element of the university experience, though you’ve probably had a couple get under your skin before. Living with people may make all their flaws all-too-visible, here are a handful of easy methods to handle college roommates.

Establish guidelines. Formulate rules at the beginning of the semester based on how you’ll handle smoking, taking calls during studying, studying late at night, bringing home significant others, etc.

Don’t touch their stuff. As tempting as his or her tasty looking food might be, leave it alone. Don’t use their shampoo, makeup, clothes. Your relationship will improve for it.

Be friendly, but don’t force friendship. Stay courteous, but don’t expect you’ll be BFFs for the rest of your lives. Among the best roommates are those you barely ever see.

Determine your bathroom schedule. At the outset of the semester, talk through your schedule to find out when people must be out of the door every morning then base a bathroom schedule around that timeline.

Cleaning rules. Set up a cleaning schedule for your living area and be sure you pull your own weight. When your roommate left something in the sink that’s smelling up the apartment, the easiest solution might be to tidy it up then and address it with them later.

Pick your battles. It may drive you nuts if they leave their hair in bathtub after showering, but there could be more important circumstances to take care of.

Have one room to keep clean – always. While the remainder of your apartment could be a mess, it helps to have one community room you recognize you’ll be able to retreat to that will be clean, for instance the kitchen or den. Agree to keeping it tidy.

Bring it up. In case you allow the items that bothers you simmer below the surface without addressing it directly with them, it is going to just get worse for you and they may have no idea what they’re doing is getting under your skin. While leaving a note may be convenient for you, just take care of it up front, in place of declaring a post-it war.

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