You're off to college and you're thrilled, right? What about that heavy stone sitting in your belly about rooming with a stranger? You managed to share a room with a sibling for many years, so you can do this, right? You can with some planning and negotiation, read on for tips:
1. When it comes to refrigerator or food cupboard storage space, will you share or have your own? Having your own space could eliminate food sharing issues, but it might not be practical. So, if your food is going to be in the same vicinity - set ground rules and perhaps even pick your own shelves to house your goodies. You don't eat their leftovers and the roomie won't touch your tofu.
2. Who's going to clean the kitchen? Rule of thumb: you dirty it, you wash it. If necessary try to set up a timeframe of when dishes will be cleared up. You may think they need to be washed and put away within five minutes of using them, your roommate might think washing and clearing can be done within 72 hours. Compromise may be in order.
3. Overnight guests or visitors who stay until the sun comes up? Set ground rules on how long visitors are welcomed and how many visitors you want crowding the room at once. If you have a big exam and need some extra zzzz's, ask the roommate for extra consideration for an early lights out. Rules for overnight guests should be hashed out from the get-go.
4. Noise pollution. Do you sleep in silence? Can you not fall asleep unless you have the soothing images of television dancing through your head? Be considerate. Ask the roommate his or her preference, try to compromise. If they need silence and you don't, put in some earplugs and you'll soon be counting sheep.
5. What's mine is mine. How do you feel about your roommate rummaging through your drawers, perhaps wearing your clothes? How about borrowing paper or ink because their printer ran out? May sound far fetched, but probably isn't. Talk about ownership and boundary issues off the bat.
Your roommate may start off as a stranger, but living in close quarters could result in a life-long friendship with careful planning and compromise.
1. When it comes to refrigerator or food cupboard storage space, will you share or have your own? Having your own space could eliminate food sharing issues, but it might not be practical. So, if your food is going to be in the same vicinity - set ground rules and perhaps even pick your own shelves to house your goodies. You don't eat their leftovers and the roomie won't touch your tofu.
2. Who's going to clean the kitchen? Rule of thumb: you dirty it, you wash it. If necessary try to set up a timeframe of when dishes will be cleared up. You may think they need to be washed and put away within five minutes of using them, your roommate might think washing and clearing can be done within 72 hours. Compromise may be in order.
3. Overnight guests or visitors who stay until the sun comes up? Set ground rules on how long visitors are welcomed and how many visitors you want crowding the room at once. If you have a big exam and need some extra zzzz's, ask the roommate for extra consideration for an early lights out. Rules for overnight guests should be hashed out from the get-go.
4. Noise pollution. Do you sleep in silence? Can you not fall asleep unless you have the soothing images of television dancing through your head? Be considerate. Ask the roommate his or her preference, try to compromise. If they need silence and you don't, put in some earplugs and you'll soon be counting sheep.
5. What's mine is mine. How do you feel about your roommate rummaging through your drawers, perhaps wearing your clothes? How about borrowing paper or ink because their printer ran out? May sound far fetched, but probably isn't. Talk about ownership and boundary issues off the bat.
Your roommate may start off as a stranger, but living in close quarters could result in a life-long friendship with careful planning and compromise.
About the Author:
Robbi Hess is a staff writer for the American Educational Guidance Center. She writes on higher education and continuing education topics which include online degree programs, adults returning to college, financial aid, and time management for students.
