Happy Roommmates, Happy You!

Happy Roommmates, Happy You! By: Araceli Ortiz

Right now, many students are getting ready to head off to their freshman year of college or university. I remember my first day like it was yesterday.  My parents and I arrived on campus with a truck full of clothes, books, movies, blankets, and of course my favorite picture frames.  We drove around in circles for a while.  Soon, my dad finally parked outside of my dorm building and I stared out the window, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the car. Looking up at the fourth floor, I smiled big; I was finally free! When I reached the fourth floor, the very first people I met were my two roommates. One of my roommates was from a small town in Oregon and my other roommate was an international student from Japan. These two people were going to be my roommates for the next year.  

For many of you, your roommates will be some of the first people you meet on campus. You might connect with your roommates right away while other times it might take a little longer. Having a good, healthy, and balanced living experience will in turn help you have an amazing college experience so it’s important to get to know your roommates’ backgrounds, stories, and their living patterns. One of the ways to make sure you are in a safe environment and are getting along with your roommate is to establish good boundaries and expectations.

It is important to set clear expectations and here are few questions to help start a discussion with your roommate(s).

Sleep time:

·       What do your sleeping patterns look like? Do you like to wake up early? Do you like to sleep in? Are you a light sleeper?

·       Does the music or TV need to off while you are sleeping?

Guests and Visitors:

·       What hours are good to have guests over on the weekdays? Weekends?

·       What are guests allowed to do and not do in our apartment/dorm?

·       Are opposite sex guests allowed to spend the night? Same sex guests?

Possessions:

·       What kinds of things can I borrow? Do I need to ask permission?

·       What should be our guidelines and limits for sharing things?

·       Will food be shared? Who buys it?

·       Can my guest use your things?

Communication:

·       I express my disagreement, frustration, anger by….

·       I express my agreement, gratitude, excitement by…

·       How do you prefer to be approached with concerns or issues? Ex: face to face, notes, text, facebook, etc.

Wishing you the best year of happy living and beautiful memories!