Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow recently giving us six more weeks of winter, but like it or not, spring is in the air. That’s right folks, it’s that time of year when everyone is pairing off and trying to find “the one”. And I don’t mean for Valentine’s Day. I’m talking about finding a roommate for next year.
There are many ways a Bridgewater student may go about choosing a potential roomie. Naturally, it has to be someone you get along with and someone you wouldn’t mind spending the next seven months of your life in the same small room with. Maybe you choose your best friend from back home, a classmate you really hit it off with, or your closest teammate. Of course, if you can’t find anyone or feel like everyone’s paired off without you, there’s always the option of having the college match you up with a random stranger. Each scenario has its share of ups, downs, good, and bad.
That’s why this week, I’m here to help BSC students pick the perfect roommate for next year. I’m going to share real BSC roommate horror and success stories that I’ve heard around the dorms to help you guys know what to expect. The tips here are for everyone from incoming freshmen to returning upperclassmen, to help you find your residence hall soulmate.
- tip #1: Communication is key! Nothing is worse than a long, stressful day of classes, when all you want to is get back to your room, curl up in a ball, and take a nap. But then when you walk in the door, your roommate is in the middle of a workout. Or blasting music. Or has all their friends over to watch a movie. Obviously, you want to let your roomie do their thing (it is their space too, afterall!), but it interferes with the stuff you want to do. If this is the case, shoot them a text telling them you’d like a little R&R when you get back, rather than throwing a fit and kicking all of their friends out, and they should be fine with it.
- tip #2: Sexile…don’t let it happen to you! Another annoying situation that seems to be pretty common in the BSC residence halls is the college phenomenon know as “sexiling”. For thoes of you not in the know, to be sexiled is when your roommate has a person they’re hooking up with in the room, so you can’t go in. If you’re going to sexile your roommate, or vice-versa, here’s the proper protocol: Lock the door: I know way to many people who have been scarred for life by walking in on their roomies getting it on. Devise a signal: Anything from the old standby of a sock on the door, to leaving a message on your whiteboard will do, so long as your roommate knows not to come in. Have a place to go: This part is very important. You need somewhere you can chill out while you wait like the library or a good friend’s room.
- tip #3: Know their sleeping habits!! This may just be the most important piece of advice I can give you. If you and your roomie like to sleep in completely different conditions, no one–and I mean no one– in that room is going to be happy. Because sleep is so important, you’re either going to have to decide on a happy medium or find someone you know that shares the same habits as you. This means bed times, whether or not you like to sleep in, temperature in the room, whether you need music or a fan to get to sleep, keeping the TV on etc…
- tip #4: Synchronize schedules! Say your roommate has an 8AM class on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but you don’t have class until 11. This could cause major problems. If your roommate has to get up way before you, it’s inevitable that you’re going to be woken up by the sound of them getting ready, even if they’re trying their hardest to be quiet. For example, two days a week my roommate and I both have 11AM classes, so we wake up at the same time to get ready.
- tip #5: Divide the chores! No one wants to live in a messy room. But at the same time, no one person wants to be doing all the work to keep the room clean, either. Make sure you and your roomie talk so you know who likes to do what chores. For example, one can Swiffer while the other vacuums. Or one can dust the TV and windowsills while the other takes out the trash. This also goes for smelly stuff like food and socks. Chances are if you find the smell unpleasant, so does everyone else! So, say you have a half eaten pizza with garlic and onions, put it in the fridge! On that same note, in a small space like a dorm room, Febreze is your best friend!!!
In short, you want a good roommate, because so much of your college experience depends on them. I, for one, lucked out this year and have an awesome roomie that I love! But yes, even I am on the hunt for a new roomie because mine is moving in with other people next fall. Looks like I’ll have to take some of my own advice while on my search.
What about you? Do you have any tips on how to be an awesome roommate? Do you have any funny or horrific roommate stories? Any cool ways you found yours? I met mine on a campus tour! Share your experience in a comment below!
The BSC Campus Center Blog 
I could go on for days about bad roomates. It seems as though I can never get the right ones. My freshman year I had a kid who drank 8 nights a week and liked to bring a girl back half of those times. My sophomore year I decided to live in a single in part of a suite with a kid from high school. Turns out he is ultra conservative with a roomate who was racist. Needless to say I didn’t spend much time in that room during the day. Finally this year I got to have suitemates who are bearable and I can actually stand. Needless to say roomates and who they are friends with can have a big influence on your entire college experience.
As a commuter, I rarely get a glimpse into the BSC resident halls, but this post almost made me want to try out residence life for a year or so? So many unwritten rules and unexpected scenarious, haha. Nice job. =)
This is so true, my freshman year I adored my roommates, one was a transfer student from Japan, which was fun because I learned a lot about their culture and the other roommate was really quiet but also very nice. My sophmore year however, was a disaster. I was put in a room with two girls I did NOT know & it was awful! They were SLOBS! && ALWAYS drunk. One of my roommates were also bi-polar! There were one too many times where she would be punching the walls because of her ex-boyfriend! This year I decided to room with the friend of a friend, who seemed cool before we roomed together. She is disgusting and so messy, she brings her boyfriend over & i get sexiled all the time, mind you I have a boyfriend & would never DO this! Not to mention her b/f smells!UGH bad hygiene! You really have to be picky now a days! Make sure you really know the person & especially if you like to be neat, clean, and smell nice!
Karoline, this is great advice! I think you hit on most of the big roommate issues I work with. Good luck finding a new roommate for the fall!