How to prevent common roommate problems?

The first person you actually meet at college is your roommate. Maybe you will like them right away, but you are still not aware of common roommate problems in college. Even though you think that living in a student residence is not that hard, you may have to deal with roommate’s habits, friends or behavior. There are common roommate problems in college that many students deal with and you may be able to resolve them easily if you are prepared for them.

Cleaning is one of the most common roommate problems in college

Whether your roommate is messy or obsessively cleans the room with the vacuum cleaner every hour, their need to clean could become a common issue and could ruin your life in a student residence.

In case he/she is messy

The best way to prevent all possible problems in the future is to make a chore schedule and stick to it whatever happens. In case that she/he is too messy, and do not want to clean the room when her “shift” start, then try to use a trick. Tell her, for example, that your parents are visiting you and the room has to be clean.

A messy roommate something you really want to avoid.

If you are the one that’s messy

However, if you are too messy for your roommate, you may want to think about your hygiene habits.

Your roommate is mean-spirited

One of the common roommate problems in college is sure how to deal with the mean or roommates who love to control other people.

If she/he is mean

That is the too complicated situation for you since she/he is not aware of its meanness and thinks that he actually helps you. So, learn how to simply not hear comments, or find the humor in those situations. If that is too much for you, talk to your roommate about the problem. Handling conflict with roommates includes talks, too.

If she/he is passive/aggressive

This happens when your roommate puts notes on the door to control your habits and behavior. She does not force you to do something but still wrote you to do that. It is hard to say how to deal with roommates who are like this, but you always can use help for that – maybe college administration.

Arguing with your roommate is one of the common roommate problems in college.

Your roommate is absent

Yes, it also could be a common roommate problem in college, even at first glance does not look like a problem. Your roommate has its own company, friends and fun, and she/he never comes to the room. That could be a problem if you are a freshman and feel lonely or still does not have your own friends or you cannot deal with the situations in the room – like how to find a good repairman or find a library.

How to deal with roommates like this?

Well, if she/he does not want to help you or show up, simply find your own fun, and get involved in college life and activities. You may feel lonely for a while, but your friends are waiting for you in classrooms, parties and a library. Just be patient.

She/he is always in the room

Even this sounds weird, but this is also a common roommate problem when you are in college. It is hard to learn how to live with the roommates who are actually always in the room. They learned to make their own corner in the room with their stuff, and simply never leave the room alone. In case that they used to learn in the room on their own schedule (like at night), you have a big problem, if you are moving into a tiny room. This is actually one of the common roommate problems in college, so try to be patient and resolve it.

How to live with a roommate who is always there?

If she/he is shy, show him where a fun is, introduce her to the other people in college, and teach her how to make new friendships. In the case that she loves to learn or read when it is not proper, show her a library.

Your roommate loves to borrow your personal belongings

Everybody knows people like this. It is hard to deal with the roommates who always take your stuff, whether it is your pencils, shoes or even T-shirts. They do not know how much you hate it, or simply love to make you angry, but you have to learn how to draw the border when your personal space begins.

How to handle the problem with roommates like this?

The best way to resolve one of the common roommate problems in college is to, firstly, explain to your roommate that you do not love to share things like that and that your stuff is only yours. If that is not enough, or your roommate still wants to borrow things from you, make a contract and describe what is allowed and what is not for sharing. Finally, learn how to hide things from your roommate.

Your roommate always brings other people into the room

One of the common roommate problems in college is to have more roommates in the room that is actually allowed. We all know that type of people. They are always at parties, have hundreds of friends, and always have somebody of them to sleep in her/his room. The worst problem with this is when your roommate has a boyfriend or girlfriend, and they both are your roommates. It is hard to deal with roommates who are a couple, so you must make a rule about that from the beginning.

Yoga and meditation are great ways to resolve conflicts.

Simply talk to the roommate and explain how the thing goes (you can write it on the paper). If she wants to live with the boyfriend, they can take a condo for them. Otherwise, your room is only yours, and that must be clear. If her/his friends are always there, try to make friends with them or simply ask for a help from the college administration. Changing a room could also be a way of handling problems with roommates.

Every problem you may have with the roommates could be easily resolved in mediation. But, before you even try for it, there are some tips even mediators use:

• Learn common roommate problems in college are and prevent them;
• Do not make close friendships with your roommate’s friends before you get know them better;
  Always talk about the problem firstly;
• Write down all the issues you had in the past month that you have not talked about;
• Learn how to listen to your roommate’s problems and needs, too.