Courtesy of Stephanie Ploof
The first week of school has come and gone and the challenge of moving in has been completed. Students living on and off campus now face the challenge of adjusting to new roommates and their new living situations. In order to maintain a great roommate-ship, in other words a successful roommate relationship, there are eight simple rules that each roommate must follow.
1. Respect. This attribute is essential to a fantastic roommate-ship because whether it be talking on the phone late at night, or eating some of your roommate’s food, the only question you need to ask yourself is "Am I being respectful?"
2.Communication. Senior Stephanie Ploof said communication is the most important rule for a successful roommate-ship. Whether it is through weekly updates or daily chats, open communication lines will decrease chances of fights, therefore increasing the roommate-ship bonds.
3. Set up cleaning schedules. Senior Christopher Vajtay learned from experience that setting up a cleaning schedule helps to maintain a healthy roommate-ship. If the ground rules are set from the beginning, no one will harbor resentment for an unkempt room.
4. Be friendly, but don’t always expect to be best friends. Sometimes college students walk into dorm life expecting to become best friends with their roommate and everyone on their floor. But that’s not always how it works out. Make it a priority to be friendly with your roommate, but don’t force an unnatural bond.
5.Be open-minded, Sophomore Michaela Gillmore believes this is one of the most important rules to a successful roommate-ship. Your roommate could come from across the street, or from across the Atlantic. The key to a successful roommate-ship is being open-minded and becoming accustomed to life with people who have had a different upbringing and a different culture according to Gillmore.
6. Clean up after yourself. Sophomore Nicole Archibald said cleaning up after yourself is essential to a successful roommate-ship. Learning to clean up after yourself is essentially learning how to be an adult, and how to live without your family picking up the slack.
7. Be willing to share. Sharing is a quality that adults need to possess, and entering college means entering the world of adulthood. If your roommate needs to borrow food, cleaning supplies, or a notebook for class, be open to share with them, as long as they are also open to share with you. The finances will work themselves out in the end.
8. Remember to be flexible. Learning to adapt to other’s personalities and learning to live with someone you don’t know gives students the opportunity to mature in their character. Students will learn to go with the flow. Just remember, even though things seem stressful now, maintaining your roommate-ship is important for a successful school year.
Rebecca White can be reached at rebecca.white@student.shu.edu
