In my short time in college, I have had the pleasure of being able to live with two different ladies on my floor. Though I had trouble adjusting to living with someone who wasn’t younger than me, I managed to discover just what made someone a good roommate. I wasn’t always the best, but nobody's perfect at living with a complete stranger for a whole year. Here are a few tips I have picked up in the first half of the school year on how to be the best (or slightly decent) roommate the university has ever seen.
1. Keep your space organized.
Nothing is more annoying than losing your favorite shirt in a large pile of clothes underneath your bed. However, it’s more annoying when you realize said shirt is actually in your roommate’s pile because you have an incapability to put stuff where it belongs.
2. Support their decision to buy four pairs of black shoes.
A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes, right?
3. If they buy the mirror when you said you would, at least buy something else for the dorm.
It’s nice to be able to have a decorative and lively room that the whole squad can relax or complete their homework in. However, it might kind of suck if your roommate moves out and takes everything with them and you’re left with nothing but the ugly-colored curtain that was over the window the day you moved in.
4. Let them get the chicken strip flex meal at the IMU.
Though the plate of chicken stripes and crinkle cut fries are probably one of the best (if not the best) meals available on campus, there is nothing wrong with a chicken sandwich or a chicken with mashed potato bowl. Just make sure you beat your roommate to the front of the line next time.
5. Watch Scandal with them if they want to watch it.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be Scandal. It can be any television show or movie, but the idea is still present no matter what program of choice you and your roommate view.
6. Convince them to join your Dance Marathon group.
Group 16 for the win! Well, everyone technically wins no matter which group they joined. However, I bet your morale captain didn't introduce himself by asking us to follow him on Spotify. You can't top that.
7. Sing the covers from Glee at the top of your lungs until it hurts too much.
Neither of you may be able to match the talent of Rachel Berry, but that shouldn’t stop you from at least trying to be a Blaine or Santana.
8. Take turns buying the Skinny Pop popcorn.
Microwave popcorn is delicious, but it’s not as tasty when your whole room smells burnt because the bag stopped spinning in the appliance while it was popping. Besides, it’s better for you and pretty cheap. My roommate and I have like three bags of it in our closet right now.
9. Don’t borrow their books if you’re in the same class.
If you really want to, you can borrow their books. My roommate always gives me a weird look when I ask to use her cognitive psychology textbook to read a chapter from it, but it’s not my fault the bookstores ran out after like a day (it kind of it though, but that’s beside the point).
10. Freak out over the weird bugs in the room with them instead of killing it.
This one is a given. It’s just like the shoe situation - support their decision. Support, support, support.
I hope these tips will help you become the best slightly-decent roommate you can be. If not, it doesn’t hurt to switch things up and try a new roommate in the spring semester. That just gives you another chance to try all these lovely tips out on someone new.
