Blog Post Three
GET TO KNOW YOUR ROOMMATE WITHOUT IT FEELING FORCED
We get it. You’re new in town like everyone else and are scared to death that the person you’ll be spending (at a minimum) the next year with in a ridiculously confined dorm room will not immediately love you. Here’s how you can establish the foundation for a sincere and cordial relationship with your roommate, without it appearing too forced.
Do Your Research (aka creeping session)
Even though you’ve probably done this (or were planning to), make an active effort to find your roommate on any and all forms of social media prior to meeting them. Get a solid feel for what their interests, favorites, and/or hobbies are and try to find any commonalities or traits you may share. Once you two actually link up, you will have more than enough to talk about.
Lunch date!
A $10 bowl from Chipotle is a small price to pay to form a solid connection with the person who’s going to get dressed in the same room as you every day. Your roomie will love it when you take the initiative to ask for a lunch date. And in this instance, even more so than usual, it’s the thought that truly matters. Given that you’re probably about to lose a great deal of your funds over the course of the next four years, if you don’t feel like blowing stacks, bring your roommate to the college cafeteria.
No turf wars. Take the high road.
Pick your battles. Even though in the moment you might feel tempted to bicker over who gets the marginally larger bed with a better view of the TV, it will prove worthwhile in the long run to take the high road and let your roommate win one sometimes. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to debate over territory in the future.
Do the decoration process together—the entire process
You are going to be very dissatisfied with either your roommate, yourself, or both when you two both purchase mini-fridges but neither gets a microwave. Take a trip to your nearest retailer and split the decor and appliances bill 50/50. Then attempt to make your room look half decent before you try and fit 40 other people in it for the big pregame.
It’s never too early for Christmas
Yes, one cannot simply “buy” friendship, but I know I wasn’t complaining when my roommate showed up with a box filled with snacks and clothing just for me. Providing a sentimentally significant gift to your roommate such as a poster for their local sports team is the perfect opportunity for you to express and demonstrate how valuable of a roomie you are.
Don’t do it alone
If you are planning on doing any sort of recreational activity alone, don’t. You’re going running? Bring your roomie. You’re studying? Bring your roomie. You’re out partying till 2 am? You best not be alone.
Be the outgoing one
If you and your roommate are initially both shy (which 99.999% of the time is the case), make an effort to be the bold one in the relationship. Understand that if your roommate is not talking constantly, they’re not so much doing it intentionally as incidentally, because you two did just meet. After all, you are more intimidating than you may think. Take initiative by suggesting places to go and things to do.
Play 21 questions
You want to be really bold? If you and your roommate seek an effective method to break the ice and jump straight into freezing cold water, play this game. Ultimate challenge: Skip “where are you from” and go straight to “what are your top five biggest regrets.”
