One of the most memorable years at CU-Boulder is your first year. You are in a new environment with fresh faces and a clean slate. The possibilities are endless and you are open to sharing new experiences with new people. One experience you鈥檒l probably not forget is having a roommate.
Getting along with your roommate is just one factor that will impact your success and happiness throughout your first year in college and beyond. Although it might seem like having the 鈥減erfect鈥� roommate is the luck of the draw, there are definitely ways to make your relationship with your roommate enjoyable and potentially meaningful.
Five tips for roommate happiness:
- Set boundaries. First thing鈥檚 first, make rules and set boundaries with one another. That starts with your Roommate Agreement (you know, that important thing your RA told you to fill out when you moved in, but you had so much information being thrown at you, plus there was the weekend, and now you don鈥檛 remember. Consider what your sleeping schedule is like, how you study and when you prefer to hang out in your room or have friends over. Communicate your expectations to your roommate and respect their needs, too. Be considerate!
- Make an effort to genuinely get-to-know your roommate. Okay, so you checked out your roommate鈥檚 Facebook profile and have already made snap judgments about whether or not you think the two of you will get along. But don鈥檛 forget about all those embarrassing pictures your mom and friends tagged you in when you were in middle school. Your social media does not define you and it does not define your roommate either. Go to dinner with your roommate and have an actual conversation with them to learn about who they are as a real person and what they are interested in.
- You don鈥檛 have to be best friends. All right, who are we kidding? You aren鈥檛 going to be BFF鈥檚 with everybody you meet and that includes your roommate. However, you should still be听civil and courteous with them, even if the two of you have nothing in common. Acknowledge your roommate when you see them outside of your room. You鈥檙e living in a small and confined space together, after all, so why not make your room a comfortable place you can both enjoy? There is no sense in being hostile toward听one another. Bonus - you never know when you鈥檒l lock yourself out!
- Confront your issues. Conflict will arise whether you like your roommate or not. 鈥淲ho ate all my food and where are my clothes?鈥� are two questions you could find yourself asking. It鈥檚 best to address the problem when it happens instead of letting each disagreement build on top of each other. Don鈥檛 wait and become passive aggressive allowing your frustrations to grow until a huge fight erupts. Talk to your RA if all else fails and consider changing rooms if the situation really can鈥檛 be solved.
- Respect your roommate. The most important tip is to respect your roommate and their privacy. Never raid through their belongings without asking and be conscious of how your actions and lifestyle might impact your roommate. Understand that they have a test tomorrow that they need to go to bed early for. Be rational when their partner is in town for the weekend and they want to spend alone time with them.
You will look back on your first year at CU and remember your roommate years from now. You will remember the quirks that made you laugh and the ones that irritated you the most. You only have to live with your roommate for nine months so be mindful about how you want to look back on your experience.听
CU-Boulder provides a wide range of resources to ensure your health and wellness while you're a student here.
By Hayley Sanchez, sophomore, English
