Adjusting to college life is difficult all on it's own. However, if you grew up an only child like I did, you also have to get used to sharing everything with roommates. The past few weeks have had it's conflicts, but all-in-all, my roommates are pretty great. You may, however, experience a few things you have to adjust to, simply to make your life easier to avoid conflict. Some are so simple that anyone could accept them. Some, however, pose a more difficult problem. Living with three other people in a four-person-suite, I'm learning to adjust to things fast. Don't get me wrong, though, my roommates are better than I could have ever asked for.
1. Shower and waking-up schedules
Sometimes you'll encounter that one roommate who takes a three minute shower, and sometimes you'll have that roommate who takes a 45 minute shower. You'll also ALWAYS have that roommate who never wakes up to their alarm and is always late. I happen to have one of each, and of course, we all shower in the morning right before we have a 10 AM class. It's survival of the fittest in this dorm room.
2. Weird Habits
You'll always have that roommate who turns every light on in the room, especially when there's natural light coming in your three large windows at 10 AM (you know who you are) or you'll also have that roommate who talks on the phone all the time, sometimes on speaker phone, and sometimes right outside your bedroom. You learn to live with it.
3. Questionable Fashion Choices
The GIF doesn't lie, my one roommate likes to wear Crocs, and they are bright orange. Hey, it's not as bad as it could be. If Crocs are our biggest worry, we're doing pretty well.
4. Sleeping schedules
I think this one is the most difficult to adjust to. Some people are productive during the day, and some people aren't motivated until the moon is in the sky. I happen to be the latter, and luckily my roommate is a heavy sleeper. That could have ended worse.
5. Morning Rituals
Sometimes, having an early class with one of your roommates is great, that means you don't have to walk to class alone. However, when three of you are rushing to be out of the apartment by 9:30 for your 10 AM class, it's a sure bet that you're going to be sharing the bathroom and kitchen while trying to not hold everyone up.
6. Sharing food
It is virtually impossible to only buy food for yourself when you live with one roommate, let alone three. When you buy food, you buy enough for everyone, or you hide it in your room, and just hope no one will ask questions.
7. Chores
Actually, I take it back. THIS is the most difficult thing to adjust to. We all had one or two chores back home that we hated to do, but now we are responsible for keeping a whole apartment clean. Luckily, divide and conquer really does help in this situation.
8. Guests
Roommates are bound to bring home friends, and that means strangers in your living space. Whether the guest is there overnight or for an hour, it presents the challenge of having to interact with a new person, something I know I'm not very good at.
9. Study Schedules
Having all different classes means you're all going to be studying at different times, and sometimes it's best to block out some quiet time to allow everyone a fair chance to not have to hear that one person who likes to play music out loud. Courtesy, man.
10. The risk of your roommate being messy
My roommate and I happen to be equally as disorganized, but setting up time to get the room in order can clear your minds and also avoid any major conflict
