Roommate Issues: Powering Through the Rest of the Year & Picking for Next Year
Is your student struggling to pick roommates for next year? Constantly complaining about their current roommates and how much of the semester still stretches ahead? Whether students have lived with siblings or have been an only child all their lives, living with another person can seem impossible at times.
Making it through the rest of the semester with roommate conflicts can be tough, but the best advice to give your student is to talk it out. If your student is bothered because their roommate uses their stuff without asking or doesn’t clean up after themselves they should sit down and have a conversation about what is bothering them. The best way to have these kinds of conversations is in person – tone and intention can so easily be misinterpreted over text and make the situation worse. While stressful, being open and honest about their feelings could solve a lot of issues, especially if their roommate wasn’t aware they were bothered by certain behaviors. This shouldn’t, however, be an airing of grievances from the whole year. Focusing on the key issues and the feelings they cause is more effective and will end in fewer hurt feelings than arguing about the friend they let sleepover for three nights back in October.
Many students have started to choose or are still looking for who they will live with next year. Living with friends is always a popular choice, but students should think carefully about picking people that will complement their living styles. Students should ask their friends about their cleaning habits, discuss sharing and shopping for food and supplies and whether they like to have quiet nights at home or blast dance music all night. Nothing can ruin a friendship faster than an argument over borrowed clothes or dirty dishes sitting in the sink for a week. Talking through expectations is the best way to ensure students can all be comfortable in their future home.
Categories Advice for Students & Families