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Roommate Relations and Situations

I. Avoid rooming with a friend.
If a good friend of yours will be going to the same school, try to resist rooming with them. Rooming with someone else will allow you to meet new people. And if you and your friend both have new roommates you can work together to make twice as many new friends! You also don't want to risk losing your friendship by getting into small arguments.

II. Be as honest as possible when you fill out the roommate placement form.
Your school will send you a form that will ask you a bunch of personal questions. The school will use this form to match you with a compatible roommate. It is important to tell the truth about yourself! If you lie (or exaggerate) on the placement form the school will put you with a roommate who is compatible with the person that you describe on your form, but it won't be who you really are! Telling the truth on your placement form could be the difference between a year of fun with a new friend, and a year of fighting.

III. Don't go by first impressions.
It is always said how much the first impression matters, but when you meet your roommate for the first time try not to judge. Some students hit it off from the start, and others need time to grow on each other. Try not to make any judgments or hold any preconceptions until you get to know your new roommate. Keep in mind that this is the person you will have to live with. You can choose to start off on the wrong foot, or you can choose to give it a chance. You will find that the second option will make for a fun year with your new friend.

IV. As with any relationship, the ability to compromise is very important.
Don't argue if you and your roommate disagree on certain things. Try to find some middle ground where you will both be happy. Things like the arrangement of furniture, what color rug to get, or what TV program to watch are trivial when talking about what could evolve into a great friendship. Work together so that everyone in the room is happy, or at least somewhat happy with the way things are. There is nothing worse than coming home after a long day of classes to a roommate that you don't get along with.

V. Keep the noise to a minimum in the morning.
If your roommate doesn't have class until ten o'clock and you have to get up for your eight o'clock class, do your best to be as quiet as possible. Between papers, studying, and early morning classes time to sleep becomes very valuable and excessive noise in the morning is the cause of many arguments.

VI. Talk with your roommate about problems.
If something your roommate does bothers you, politely tell them. If you let an issue grow to the point where it makes you angry it will only fester into a bigger problem. If you don't tell your roommate about things that bother you, they will have no idea you have a problem until there is an argument. Try to be as open as possible with each other so that arguments can be solved before they are even started.

VII. Seek help if you and your roommate clash.
If all else fails go and talk to the RA (resident advisor) or the RD (resident director) of your building together, and try to work out your differences. If this does not work, go to the Department of Housing and take it from there.

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