Like many of our students, you may have never shared a room before. Sharing a room takes work to keep things smooth. When you move into the residence halls, you鈥檒l need to be prepared to communicate with your roommate(s) to maintain a positive living environment.
Don鈥檛 worry! Residence Life staff is trained and available to help you learn to live with another person, and support roommate communication. Your Resident Assistant (RA) will provide a Roommate Agreement for roommates to discuss common shared living topics.聽To start your new relationship and living environment off right, you鈥檒l want to take some early steps.
Direct and honest communication is key! While social media is an easy method of contacting your roommate, electronic messages are often mis-communicated or interpreted. We encourage you to set up a time to talk with your roommate(s) in-person before using social media.
Topics you might consider discussing with your roommate(s) include:
- Personal and Shared Items:聽Sometimes, roommates bring items to share with the entire room (e.g. TV, decorations, etc.). It is important to discuss what items you'll share together, and what items are solely for personal use (e.g. toothbrush, food, etc.). There may be some things you share only when permission is asked, so discuss expectations of your personal and shared property. Note that these preferences may change, so review these periodically!
- Guests (including overnight guests):聽Be sure to talk about who can visit, how often, and how long. With overnight guests, make sure your roommate(s) is comfortable having guests, and work out a system to communicate聽in advance so your roommate(s) is prepared. Per Residence Life policy,聽a guest can only stay for 2 nights in any 7-day period with prior permission.
- Room Use & Noise:聽Do you plan to socialize, or is it primarily a space to study and sleep? Make sure you talk聽about what each roommate expects when in the room,聽and how you will let each other know when you need privacy or extra study and sleep time.
- Room Cleanliness:聽Consider how often the room will be cleaned and how tasks such as taking out the trash, washing dishes and de-cluttering will be divided. Roommates should share聽cleaning responsibilities of their shared spaces,聽and talk with suitemates about a shared bathroom cleaning schedule.
- Roommate or BFF?:聽Will your roommate be your best friend? Maybe, but it鈥檚 okay (and common) if you connect聽with someone other than your roommate too. Sometimes, best friends may not be the best roommates. You鈥檒l want to have a good relationship with your roommate(s), but respect聽outside friendships too. It鈥檚 unlikely you鈥檒l spend聽every moment with your roommate, so聽ensure to discuss boundaries and what personal time with friends looks like.
- Communication Expectations:聽Even if you agree on everything, unexpected issues could arise. The most successful roommates develop a plan for communicating issues聽quickly and respectfully, so they can work together to make things right. It鈥檚 important to talk with your roommate about how to best communicate problems so no one gets offended or hurt. Face-to-face communication is best when issues arise because notes, texts and emails can be misread and easily lead to hurt feelings.
Remember, once you get here, your RA will help you complete your Roommate Agreement to aid in discussing these topics. They can also help with whatever comes up! If issues arise that you can鈥檛 work out on your own, we鈥檒l help you revisit and revise your Roommate Agreement so it works better for everyone's living expectations and needs.