How Not to Kill Your Roommate This Semester

We are only weeks away from returning to school, which means it’s time to email or Facebook your roommate and figure out your dorm room situation. The planning that will go on during these next few weeks is absolutely critical if you want to have an enjoyable semester. You could very easily make or break the roommate bond, so take the right steps from the beginning and build a solid foundation. Here is our guide on to not kill your roommate this semester:

1) Communicate

Naturally, the first step to moving in, is to get in touch with your roommate and start planning for the upcoming semester. If you are incoming freshman, take the time to try and get to know each other, your personalities and cultural differences. It is almost guaranteed that your roommate will be vastly different, in every way possible, than you are. If you consider yourself a quiet, reserved and rather bookish type, expect your roommate to be a fervent admirer of athletics, quoting Will Ferrell and a game known as Beirut. For those who will be bunking with their BFFs, remember - just cause you are best friends and hang out together all the time, does not mean you were meant to live together. Your best gal pal Jenny’s habit of decorating her room with her wardrobe is hilarious when you visit her, but not so much when you see that she has taken the liberty to decorate your side of the dorm room this fall. I have seen too many friends become enemies by the end of a semester after trying to live together.

2) Lay Down the Rules

The best way to ensure survival for this year is by laying down a few ground rules. If your roommate suggests writing up a constitution with amendment rights and such, I would suggest finding a new roommate, preferably not pre-law. Contracts aside, agreeing on a few policies will really help manage potential issues:

Guest Rules - BFs, GFs and Everything in Between

Having a roommate involved in a relationship can come with its difficulties. When things are rocky, you will be expected to lend a shoulder, when things are great you will hear all of the details and when things are REAL great . . . So make sure you lay down some ground rules around boyfriends, girlfriends and other ‘guests’. If you feel uncomfortable given certain situations, share this with your roommate and come up with some compromise. You will both be expected to sacrifice a bit. Perhaps you could use the standard sock on the doorknob policy. The most important thing is you agree on when and how often conjugal visits are permitted.

Fun Rules - Card Games, Music Collections and Alternative Table Tennis

While at college, rules and fun mix like beer and eggs (although pledges at Alpha Alpha Alpha will tell you that Kegs and Eggs are nothing but the best). However, you and your roommate are going to have to sort out matters of drinking and socializing. Not everyone is a fan of turning their room into the ultimate Kings tournament hall, so be considerate when planning your social activities. Also, bear in mind that although some of your friends would agree that Cindy Lauper can be played on nothing but the highest decibel, she doesn’t quite have the intellectually enhancing affects as Mozart does when it comes time for studying.

Sharing Rules - Food, Clothing and Significant Others

By this point, you have been in school well over fifteen years, but you cannot forget the most important thing you learned in kindergarten, sharing is caring. With over fifteen years of experience then I am sure you realize sharing is a mutual thing and simply taking what you want is very different. When it comes to food, clothes and, well, significant others, realize when your roommate is sharing with you and when you have decided to just simply help yourself.

3) Split the Bill

The final step to ensuring a proper start to the year is arranging what each of you will bring and what you will both need to pitch in on. The most commonly split items include refrigerators, microwaves (or the college exclusive microfridge), TV’s, DVD players and video game systems. Save as much as you can and avoid buying any of these items. If, however, you do have to get one or more of them, why not try a cool service like Homeslyce.com that allows you and your roommate to fully outfit your room, arrange how you’ll split the bill and even have everything delivered straight to your dorm, just in time for move in.