Roommate Tips

Two students walking together in the snow

Some Suggestions for Living with your Roommate

Things to talk about with your roommate BEFORE moving in:

  1. What time do you go to bed/wake up? (ex: early riser, late owl, sleep until the last minute, etc.)
  2. What are your sleep patterns? (ex: like to have music on, must have complete darkness, etc.)
  3. How do you want to arrange the room? (keep in mind the rooms already have furniture in them and are limited spaces)
  4. When will you be arriving on move-in day? (the first person to arrive has more chance to move things around and make placements of items)
  5. How do you feel about guests coming over and overnight guests? (ex: I am ok with guests 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. daily, but no overnight guests, etc.)
  6. What are your study habits? (ex: study with music on, study with TV on, study in the lounge, etc.)
  7. What items do you own that you are willing to share? (ex: you can use my pots and pans but don’t touch my clothes)
  8. Who is bringing what? (no need to have two of everything—share!)

If things don’t go so smooth, what should you do?

  1. DON’T PANIC—you don’t need an immediate room change!
  2. Openly and honestly communicate with your roommate.
  3. Discuss what is bothering or concerning you with them directly.
  4. Don’t forget to listen!
  5. Try to compromise and meet halfway
  6. Keep issues between you and your roommate (don’t gossip to friends, post on facebook, talk loudly in the hallway about it, etc.)
  7. Respect their point of view.
  8. Contact your Resident Assistant (RA) to help problem solve with you. Your RA will revisit the Roommate Discussion Guide you reviewed at the beginning of the semester.