Can't Live With Them, Can't Live Without Them

At this point, we have been students here at Penn State for 7 months now.  So that means 7 months of classes, tests, extracurricular activities, parties… and 7 months of living with our roommate(s).

After 7 months I’m sure you have all gotten to know your roommate(s) well.  Whether you like them or dislike them is a different story.

I got placed in supplemental this year.  When most hear the word “supplemental” they cringe (I did too at first), but I love all 4 of my roommates.  They were my first friends in this big and sometimes intimidating university, and now we are basically inseparable.  We go to lunch and dinner together almost every day, and whenever we go out on the weekends, we are always together. 

Some may not have been as lucky as I was though.  I’m sure we have all heard our fair share of roommate horror stories; whether it ranges from an unfriendly roommate to a roommate who is a down right slob. 

Currently I have 5 roommates.  However, at the beginning of the year there was a 6^th girl.  Don’t get me wrong, I personally liked her.  She was fun and exciting.  She did tend to cause a lot of problems though.  Problems such as: she would smoke weed in the room a couple of times a day (still not sure how we didn’t get caught), she always had her boyfriend over, and while he was a nice dude, they were constantly going at it in the shower, or sometimes just blatantly on her bed.

She ended up getting relocated to East in mid-October.  And even though I occasionally miss her, it was for the best that she left. 

So even though, as I mentioned, most of us have learned to deal with our current living situation, our roommate adventures don’t end once this semester is over.  Next semester we will have a new roommate, or new roommates, to deal with all over again.  Hopefully next semester you were able to room with a friend, but even if the person living beside you is your BFF, problems still arise when you are living with someone else.

Here are some tips to deal with problems that might arise between you and your roommate, whether it be this semester or any semester in the future. 

Be respectful: Despite how much your roommate may or may not annoy you, he or she is a human being with feelings.  Just because things may not be going your way, doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.  Your roommate may live a different lifestyle than you and for the most part that’s ok.  Make sure if there are any problems, you talk it out in a calm, respectful manner.

Hands off each other stuff: This should go without saying, but you’ll be surprised how often this happens between roommates.  You borrow their hair brush once, no big deal right?  But that turns into borrowing their shampoo, perfume, and even clothes.  Just make sure you ask your roommate before going into their things. 

Talk to a close friend or an RA if the issue gets out of hand: An outside perspective on the problem will always helps. 

Here are some more tips!

• Here is some advice on how to be a good roommate
• Here are different types of roommates and how to deal with them