Your Guide to Having a Good Relationship with Your Roommate

By Kayla Bowens

At one point or another you have probably had or will have a roommate, whether that be in school or not. Sometimes it can be difficult to navigate living with someone new, especially if you are used to having your own space. From personal experience, I feel it is important to maintain a decent living environment to ensure yourself a safe space to relax and also allowing yourself more time and energy to go into school. Here are a few tips and habits you can utilize to build a mutually beneficial relationship with your roommate.

1. Communication

Although this may seem obvious and very common, communication is key. Just like any other relationship being open and upfront about your feelings avoids unnecessary tension. If conflict arises try to be understanding and actively acknowledge each others perspectives. This might be uncomfortable, but from personal experience having your frustrations build up overtime is irritating and stressful. This created a home environment I was not comfortable in and began affecting other aspects of my life. So solve things while they are small!

2. Set Boundaries

As you will be sharing common spaces, setting boundaries for yourself and your roommate is a sign of respect for each other’s personal space. Some examples of boundaries that are usually important to talk about include: if sharing things is okay and specifying what, preferred bed times, comfortability with having people over, etc. All of these things establish a more relaxed space, despite living with someone you may not know yet!

3. Exchange Important Information

Although this is not necessarily the most important detail it can be useful. Exchanging numbers with my roommate has saved me on numerous occasions like leaving the straightener on, getting locked out, or simply having someone to talk to when I’m walking home at night. You can exchange locations for safety or emergency purposes too if both parties feel comfortable. It can also be of importance to list any serious allergies or medical conditions anyone may have for safety reasons. Prioritize safety!

4. Develop a cleaning schedule

Somehow College spaces get unnecessarily messy very quickly, especially in shared spaces, so keeping the space clean is something to talk about. Creating a schedule makes sure no one person is doing all the work and the space stays somewhat clean. This is mainly for tasks like taking out the trash, vacuuming/mopping floors, and other things that are commonly used.

5. Invite each other places

If nothing else, one way to potentially become closer to your roommate is to invite each other places. Extend an invitation and if it is turned down at least you were friendly and made it an option. This could build a more personal connection!

6. Remember you are roommates

This is something that people don’t talk about enough because it is pretty stereotypical that roommates are best friends, but this is simply not the case sometimes and that is okay. Remain friendly, but don’t force a relationship, oftentimes that will make things worse.

These are all things that I have learned from having different roommates in college and wished I had practiced earlier on. I wish you and your roommate accommodations well, but always remember the importance of a healthy living environment.