Tips to make a happy home with a roommate
Chances are, you're not going to be best friends with your roommate the first second you are thrown together. Although colleges have gotten better about using personality tests to try and match each other up, it's still meeting a strange person in a very personal location. These tips can help smooth the path, and even if you're not best friends, at the very least you'll be able to tolerate each other until the semester is over.
Set boundaries right away
You might think you are pretty easy going and chill, until you discover that your roommate leaves their milk glasses to chill on the counter for a week in the dead of summer. We all have 'deal breakers' that make it harder to live with another person.
If you know what bothers you before hand (thank you siblings) let them know. Otherwise, address the problems as soon as they come up. If you don't tell your roommate that you mind them 'borrowing' your food and clothing, it could be taken for agreement. Setting boundaries right away helps with that.
Follow your own ground rules
Don't take your roommates stuff without permission, even if you really are only borrowing it. If your roommate has borrowed from you in the past and you have always been free with your stuff, it doesn't mean they are the same way. You also may not know your roommates full story. That shirt you borrowed may have special significance, and wearing it may be a much bigger deal than it seems. Always ask, no matter how trivial the item.
Bathroom stuff and other 'consumable' items are frequent areas of theft, so you may want to lock your toiletries up in order to avoid having this conflict in the first place.
Prepare for illness
Sharing your room with another person also means sharing their germs. If your roommate is sick, odds are good you will be sick too. College crowds lots of people into small spaces, and that means lots of chances for germs to be transmitted. You can help cut this down by washing your hands with soap and hot water regularly, and cleaning off common surfaces like door knobs regularly.
If your concerned about the well being of your roommate, don't hesitate to get them help right away. A quick call to a nurse line hurts nothing, and it may save their life if they're extremely ill.
