1: A Tidy Roommate Makes For a Happy Roommate
I know you love that soup your mom made for you, and I’m so glad you ate it (I needed the fridge space), but maybe—just maybe—it doesn’t smell the same as it did when it first arrived. So while you’re avoiding the mess in the microwave, I’m wondering how long it’s acceptable to wait to call Health Services and alert them of the biohazard in our room. A week, right?
I’m so glad you brought the toilet brush, but, you know, it’s been three weeks since it’s even moved. I know you use the shower, and yet I never see a can of Scrubbing Bubbles anywhere. I’m also sure you see how dusty the TV stand is.
I’m not saying you have to be a neat freak. I’m saying that if you notice my side is immaculate…maybe on Sunday you can pick up the countless t-shirts, underwear and socks that you’re using the floor to store. My mother said, “the floor is not a shelf.” Oh, and those workout clothes you used on Tuesday? Still smell.
2: Silence is Golden
I’m not asking for complete silence. I have no prize to offer you for it. Watch Netflix, call your mom, play video games, you do you, but do it wearing headphones. I don’t want to hear that your father has been relentlessly annoying since you’ve been away. That’s just a little much for the first month of living together, you know? Oh, do me a favor, don’t call your mom until I’m awake and out of bed, okay? There’s a couch in the common room. I’m a bear when woken up unexpectedly before 10 a.m. or after 11 p.m.
Bring your friends over! They seem really cool! But if it’s a weeknight (don’t forget Sunday night is a school night and I have an 8 a.m.) and you guys aren’t planning on winding the party down…it’s time to rethink the venue.
3: Sharing Isn’t (Always) Caring
They lied in kindergarten! It’s not your fault, I know they drilled it into you! However, let’s correct the mistake now: I like you a lot, but I’m not sharing anything I didn’t agree to share. Don’t use my makeup or my deodorant, don’t use my hairbrush and don’t borrow my clothes. Ask to use my stuff, but if you’re worried about me saying no, buy your own.
Issues are always going to crop up when people agree to live together, but keep these three aspects in mind and you’ll never have to wonder if you’re being a courteous roommate. If you’re having roommate issues, make sure to talk to your roommate before talking to your RA. Better yet, throw this up on the door! Why worry when I can say it for you?
Have a great semester and make sure to envy all the students who don’t have to share a room this semester. Be kind and you’ll make it through.
Casey Meyer is a third-year student majoring in English writings and minoring in journalism. ✉ CM873291@wcupa.edu.