Getting along with roommates! Going away to school usually means living in student housing or some kind of off campus housing situation, and that often means living with roommates. One of the biggest adjustments for college students can be learning to get along with roommates who are often total strangers. But if you follow these 3 simple suggestions you may avoid some of the problems young people encounter when living in close quarters with someone new.
#1-Establish Some Basic Rules and Boundaries
This doesn’t mean drawing a line down the middle of the dorm room that no one is allowed to cross. Living together in student housing means voicing your expectations, and listening to the other person’s thoughts and then coming up with a reasonable way to meet in the middle. It is good to establish some house rules on things like how to share the cleaning duties amongst roommates. If your roommate hates to do dishes but doesn’t mind vacuuming work out a schedule. Don’t just assume everyone will do their part. It always works out better with a plan. Make a chart if you need to, it can stop problems before they start.
Make sure you are clear up front about what items are shareable and what items are personal and need to be respected. Food in the fridge can always be a source of contention in this area. Decide how this can be worked out. Do you share some groceries or keep everything separate and labeled with your name? One good rule to establish is that a roommate should always ask if there is a question. So if someone is out of milk, ask before you just take someone else’s.
Quiet time and noise are another common area that leads to disagreements. Make sure you discuss things like do you like study time to be quiet or with music in the background. Find ways to compromise if you have different needs, maybe use headphones or study at the library sometimes. Many student housing and off campus apartments already have rules for lights out times. If not then establish your own quiet hour or lights out expectations.
Once you establish some basic boundaries, respect them and remember you also are responsible for any of your guests respecting those rules too.
#2 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
This is the key to getting along with anyone, not just a roommate. Talk together, get to know each other. The better you can understand a person helps you to avoid conflicts. For example, if you know your roommate is not a morning person, you can be sensitive to be quiet and respectful at that time of day. If you know your roommate has a particularly busy week or is going through a stressful time, you could be more patient with them if they aren’t able to do their part of the cleaning that week.
Learn to communicate respectfully. Be nice. Be courteous. Talk things out calmly. Know that if you are really irritated and might want to shout, take a walk, get away from each other until you could approach the problem in a more respectful tone. If you find you have an area of disagreement, focus on the behavior or problem, not the other person’s personality. These are all just basic skills everyone needs to learn and sometimes being in student apartments is a person’s first experience with this outside their own family.
One thing that helps is to give each other space. You may really enjoy your roommate but make other friends so that you don’t spend all your time together. Too much togetherness can bring about contentions.
If there is a problem, it is important to speak out. Bring up issues timely, don’t let them fester for weeks. Discuss issues in a place and at a time when you can discuss it respectfully. If there is an issue that you still can’t work out, approach your student housing manager or other responsible person.
#3 Be Flexible
Being flexible means that you recognize that disagreements will arise. You will probably have to sometimes bend those rules you established and you will have to adjust as issues arise. Even if your roommates are someone you have known a long time, living together in a small space like a dorm room will require everyone being willing to give and take.
At Dixie Cove Apartments we offer both private and shared rooms. Even if you have a private room you are living close around other students in this off campus housing complex, so it’s always good to work on getting along well with other students. When you apply to live at Dixie Cove Apartments as we assign rooms, we will try to match your profiles with other students with similar likes and habits. We want to make your roommate experience and your off campus housing at Utah Tech University in St George, Utah a great year for you!
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