Tips for Handling College Roommate Problems

Everyone attending college with plans to room with another student is apprehensive about how things will go with a new roommate. This is an exciting time and everyone hopes for a pleasant experience. Most often, things turn out fine and each roommate quickly finds a new friend to help make the college transition easier. Occasionally though, there are roommate problems and here are some tips on dealing with them.

Mutual Respect - When sharing a room, it is important to respect each other's privacy and personal belongings. It is not okay to assume you can borrow something without asking. It is also not okay to eat and drink food and beverages that belong to your roommate unless offered to you. The relationship will fare much better if both roommates respect each other.

If your roommate does not respect your things or your privacy, you do not have to tolerate it. You should first politely discuss any issues with your roommate, and hopefully that will be the end of it. If not, it may become necessary to mention the problem once again, and if the roommate continues the behavior, you should take up the matter with the dormitory resident advisor.

Don't Live in Misery - If you just cannot tolerate your roommate and spending an entire semester or year with them is just more than you can bear, it is important to take steps to remedy the situation quickly. If you are miserable in the rooming situation, it will affect how well you do in school. Odds are if you are not happy with your roommate, they probably feel the same way you do.

First give considerable thought to what it is you do not like about your roommate. Do they party too much or have friends over too often? Are they messy or have terribly annoying habits? Some things may be fixable, and some may not. If the situation just isn't going to work, it is a good idea to discuss the problem with the resident advisor. Sometimes just talking to someone else about a problem is a big step toward solving it.

Remember that people are different, and not all people are compatible. Keep in mind that you will be attending school for two to four years, so avoid making an enemy if at all possible. You can discuss your feelings with your roommate without becoming angry, and while it is important to vent your frustrations, you should be willing to listen to their side as well.

Often times it may be that neither of you did anything wrong; maybe you just found a better fit for a roommate. Most importantly, address the situation maturely and honestly. Even if the situation ends with the two of you parting ways, it is still best to get things out in the open and make the change so that both of you can get your mind back on your studies and move on.

Living With a College Roommate

Freshmen generally share rooms with other incoming students, so it's always a good idea to find out as soon as possible who that other person might be. For most high school students beginning college, it is a severe culture shock to go from a home with plenty of space to a tiny room that is shared with someone they've just met.

Avoiding a Bad Situation

Many new college students lose the desire for higher education based on less than happy experiences with roommates and living in cramped quarters. From a parent's standpoint, making the situation appear as positive as possible is a help, but meeting the person who will be sharing the living accommodations early is also beneficial.

If it is possible, the new students should meet each other somewhere besides their room when they are moving in. They will probably make a better friendship if they don't see each other for the first time under the stress that comes with moving into a dorm room.

An arranged meeting between the two or talking on the phone can better help them understand what resources they can share since the room won't accommodate all the items they are used to having at home. School will begin much more smoothly if the roommates aren't spending so much of the early time trying to decide how to perform basic functions.

College Roommates - Budgeting Through Sharing

One of the toughest challenges for college freshmen is controlling their budget because many of them have no experience with it. If roommates share some of the expenses with each other, and can do so amiably and fairly, both can save some money.

Many times young people go through four years of college with the same friends, and that can begin with the freshman roommate. If the relationship works out, both gain a friend and someone to confide in during some trying times that ultimately come with higher education.

When a parent leaves their child at college, they don't want to be concerned with how he or she will cope with the new person sharing a room with them. A little pre-planning can make a big difference in how that experience turns out.