5 Tips To Ensure You're An Awesome Roommate

By Jessi Stickel on November 14, 2015

If you are in college, you are most likely going to have a roommate or two at some point. I am sure you have heard some heartwarming roommate stories and some horror stories of people living with roommates, but it really all depends on you and your own situation.

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In normal situations, if you try to be a good roommate, you will receive the same effort. However, it is difficult to know what to do and not do when trying to be the best roommate you can be. Living with your parents and family is totally different because they take care of you and kind of have to love you; roommates on the other hand, don’t.

The most important thing is to give them respect and treat them how you would want to be treated. Here are some helpful tips to follow to be a great roommate.

1. Be neat.

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Living with someone other than family can be difficult, but one way to ensure you are giving your roommates the respect they deserve is cleanliness. It is understandable to not have time to clean the whole apartment every other day, but cleaning up after yourself regularly is important.

Don’t leave your dirty dishes in the sink overnight for your roommates to do the next day; clean up as you go. Make sure you don’t leave your clothes on the bathroom floor after showering or leave your dishes after eating in the common areas; if you want to keep your room a mess, it is really up to you, just don’t use those habits in the areas you and your roommates share.

This will make your life and your roommates’ lives much easier, and if they are not the cleanest people, maybe you will set a great example for them to follow, since you are respecting the shared area.

2. Be quiet (when necessary).

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Most likely you and your roommates will not have the same sleeping or studying schedules, so this is another big aspect to keep in mind when giving your roommates respect. If your roommate goes to bed early or is studying for an exam, try to keep your noise to a minimum, like turning the volume down on the television, or not having guests over.

If you wake up before your roommates, try to remember to not slam the door on your way out, or wait until they wake up before vacuuming. It is important to give your roommates the respect you would want if the tables were turned.

3. Be aware of boundaries.

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Sometimes, when roommates get close as friends, they tend to cross boundaries that may cause tension. No matter how close you are with your roommate, remember to ask before borrowing or taking anything. Don’t “borrow” a roommate’s sweater, eat thier food, or use any of their personal belongings without asking beforehand — unless of course, you have sat down and had a talk about what is okay to do in this situation.

This is to make sure that you and your roommates won’t have any conflicts about borrowing each other’s things, and when they notice you asking, they most likely will return the favor of asking you before borrowing something of yours as well.

Respecting each other boundaries also includes having guests over; you do not always need to ask if you are having a couple guests over to the apartment to hang out, but if you are having quite a few people over to party, it would be nice to ask your roommates if they are okay with having that many people over on that particular night, considering they might need to study or make other arrangements for the night.

4. Be generous.

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When you and several others live in an apartment, you sometimes will have issues with money. There are things that all the roommates will need to split the cost of, like detergent, dish soap, paper towels, toilet paper, and sometimes meals. It is important to not be greedy when it comes to splitting the cost of things.

Do not let your roommates take advantage of you and let you pay for all the apartment supplies, but do chip in when it is necessary. If your roommate bought the detergent and dish soap this month, offer to buy the paper towels and toilet paper, or if your roommate bought and made dinner for all the roommates last week, offer to buy them pizza this week.

It is great to have a balance of things with your roommates, and not just with money, with things like chores as well. Make sure you are cleaning just as much as your roommates, without letting them do all the work; your roommates will greatly appreciate these generous acts and you as a person.

5. Be yourself.

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Overall, do not change who you are for the people you live with, just be cautious of your roommates. You do not have to be exactly like your roommates to please them or earn their respect, you just have to keep thier feelings in mind while doing your own thing.

In the end, your roommates in college are normally people that you stay friends with and keep in touch with the rest of your life. Having roommates should not be all work, it’s fun to live with other college students and to make great memories with them.

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