5 Tips to Living with a Roommate

Roommates. They are a part of the college experience that all freshmen must endure. Some find the idea of living with a roommate exciting, while others are nervous. Some choose to room with a friend from high school, someone they met before school starts or someone random. It does not matter how you end up with your roommate because the experience is still the same. I personally decided to be given a random roommate my freshman year. Looking back, I do not regret this decision.  I learned a lot about living with someone else. I'm here to tell you 5 tips about living with a roommate because for most, you have never shared a space with someone 24/7.

1. Talk to your roommate before arriving to campus.

This may seem ridiculous but I have a friend who never talked to his roommate until they both arrived on campus. However you should talk to your roommate. This is the time to get to know them as a person so you are not strangers when you get to Penn State. It is also a time to talk about who is bringing what for the room. If you don't you will end with two of everything like my friend, unless you want two TVs.

2. Set ground rules.

This is important to do within the first few days of arriving to campus. Your RA will give you a roommate agreement that gets you and your roommate talking about common situations that might come up. This is extremely important to take seriously because it will lessen tension and arguments later on during the year.

 Some things to talk about:

• Bedtimes. My roommate and I were complete opposites when it came to bedtimes. One of us was early to bed, early to rise and the other was late to bed, late to rise. Though our sleep schedules were opposites we made it work. We would utilize the study lounges, library, and our desk lights when the other was sleeping.
• Visitors. This can mean anyone, friends, boyfriends, siblings. Talk about who you feel comfortable with sleeping over and who you don't. Talk about times of the day when visitors are allowed to be in the room. Also set a signal that you both are aware of incase alone time is wanted.
• Borrowing things. Some people don't mind you borrowing something without asking, while others would like you to ask. Talk it out with each and see how the other person feels. Also remember just because someone says yes once doesn't mean that always applies. So make sure to ask each time.
• Chores. Yes there are chores in college. The garbage can won't empty itself, the carpet won't vacuum itself, and the microwave can't magically clean itself. The chores that need to be done are simple enough to complete within little time. Talk to your roommate and divide up who is responsible for what and how often the task is expected to be completed.

3. Don't keep your emotions bottled up.

When living with someone for 24/7 sometimes the littlest habits start to get on your nervous. Don't wait until you can't take it anymore. Learn to be open with your roommate and be able to talk about things. If you keep your frustration inside it will cause you unwanted and unnecessary stress. The sooner you talk things through, the better. Just remember to be polite about it because chances are your roommate doesn't know their habits bother you.

4. Don't expect to be best friends with your roommate.

Coming into college I had the preconceived vision that my roommate and I were going to best friends, hang out a lot, and do fun things together. This was not the case in my situation but I realized I benefited from this. By not being best friends with my roommate, I had to go more out of my way to make new friends. I found friends in my building, in my classes, and through the clubs I joined. This is not to say that my roommate and I hated each other. We were roommates and got along great, we just didn't become best friends. I am telling my experience with my roommate not to scare you but to give an example that if things don't work out, you will still find many good friends at Penn State.

5.Be considerate

You are now sharing a single room with someone else. You need to be considerate of each other. This is now both of your homes until the end of the school year and you both need to feel comfortable within the space. Sometimes alone time is needed and you need to be considerate of that.

I hope these few tips help make living with a roommate a little less scary. During your freshman year you find out what qualities you like and don't like within a roommate. That will help make future roommate choices easier.

P.S. For all of those wondering when you will find out your roommate and where you will be living for the fall, those are posted on eliving in late July.

Emily Pringle is a sophomore in Industrial Engineering and is a Rover for WEPO'13!  To read more about Emily visit her WEPO Profile: http://raindancer45.wix.com/ladyengineers#!emily-pringle/c226e