Being a Good Roommate
Whether this is your first time living with a roommate or you have shared a room all your life, living with someone new can be exciting and challenging. You might be living with a person you have never met before, or you might be living with your best friend. Whatever the case, in order to have a successful year and a comfortable living environment, there are several things you and your roommate(s) will want to discuss and consider.
Basic Suggestions:
- Try to get to know each other better
- Be open: ask, listen, discuss. Don't wait until things escalate
- Treat your roommate as an equal
- Respect your roommate’s right to privacy or personal time alone
- Be sensitive to each other’s moods. Everyone has bad days, so try to understand when your roommate has one
- Avoid trying to "reform" or correct your roommate. Don't expect him/her to conform to your standards or accept your beliefs
- Respect your roommate's right to study
- Don’t cause interruptions or make unnecessary noise
- Work out the division of chores. Don’t wait for your roommate to take care of the housekeeping
- Discuss use of personal property such as computers, cell phones, clothing, food and other items
Discuss Cleaning Responsibilities:
- How important is a clean/neat room?
- Who should do which jobs?
- How frequently should we clean?
- What if one of us doesn’t do his/her job?
For more roommate resources, download our Welcome and Roommate Guide and Roommate Agreement Form.