How to be a Great Roommate

In the past two years of college, I have experienced my share of roommate situations.  No matter if you’re living with your best friend or someone that you just met, rooming with someone can be an interesting experience.   From having different schedules to dealing with loud music, it can be stressful and draining at times.  However, if you put in some effort, living with someone else can be fun!

Keep all of your belongings separate. 

I know this seems harsh, but I think drawing distinct boundaries between belongings keeps out all questioning.  For both of the rooms that I lived in, I made sure to put all of my stuff on one side of the room, bathroom, and kitchen.  It makes everything easier, because I know that I’m never using my roommates silverware and she’s not using mine.  I’ve learned that some people want to keep their stuff to themselves and it’s always best to try to avoid even the minor disagreements. 

Respect time schedules.

With my major, it's a known fact that I will always have 8 am classes.  I also have a work study job that requires me to wake up early most days.  Having to wake up early all the time is exhausting, so I often find myself going to sleep relatively early.  My current roommate, on the other hand, schedules her classes later in the day, which allows her to stay up later at night.  This can make things complicated, but we have been able to make it work.  Sleep is very important in college, and you don't want to ever bother my roommate.  I make sure that every night before I go to sleep, I set out all of my clothes for the next day and make sure I get ready in our bathroom.  That way, I make sure I’m out of the way and as quiet as possible.  Even at night when I fall asleep around 11:00, my roommate tries to not be disruptive to me.  Both of us working together keeps our room running smoothly and we are both able to get our beauty sleep. 

Find your “own” place to go.

No matter how smooth things are running in your room, there are going to be times when things just feel tense.  Whether its your roommate eating food loudly, singing songs, or watching TV while you are trying to study, its sometimes best to just leave the room for awhile.  Personally, my favorite place to hide out is the library, because its extremely quiet and I am able to focus on my studying.  If the library isn’t your thing, try to find a nice coffee shop or restaurant on campus that can be your place of solitude.  Wherever you choose, its nice to have a place where you can get away from your cramped dorm room and have some “me time”. 

Confront problems (if needed)

Confronting others is just not my thing.  I just can’t do it.  However, if there are issues in your room, things are much better if you just face the awkwardness and talk about whatever is wrong.  I’ve had to do this a few times and expected that it would blow up into a huge argument, but it didn’t.  We were able to work out our issues.  I think if you ignore a problem and let it build up inside of you, it can turn into a much bigger problem than it should be.  You have to live with this person for a year, so you want to pick your battles and avoid all possible arguments.

Make your roommate your friend.

A roommate doesn’t have to just be someone that you live with. My freshman year roommate and I ran in two different friendship circles, so we unfortunately never hung out unless we were in our room.  As I look back, I think that if we went out to dinner or explored the city a few times, we would have become good friends.  Sometimes people write off their roommate as a potential friend, because they just associate them as a person they live with.  I truly believe that if you make an effort with your roommate, you could end up learning a lot about them and create a great friendship. 

The Ultimate Guide to Picking Your Perfect College

I have to admit that the entire college admissions process was very fun for me.  Unlike most of my classmates, I loved touring different universities, filling out applications, and waiting to get my first acceptance.  By this time of the year, high school seniors have already received their coveted letters, but as the May 1^st decision deadline draws nearer, one of the greatest challenges is deciding which college is the absolute best fit for you. 

Near or Far?

One of the most important things you have to consider when choosing a college, is how far away you want to go from home.  Personally, I knew I didn’t want to go very far, so I only applied to schools within a three-hour radius.  Two years later, I’m still happy that I went to school an hour away, because its not difficult getting home for events, holidays, or whenever I feel like it.  Sometimes I wish that I would have branched out and moved to a different city, but in the end I'm glad that I stayed in a town that I was comfortable with.  However, many of my friends at college come from much further away, which also has its pros and cons.  On the positive side, they were able to branch out and experience a new city on their own.  I know a lot of people like this part, because college might be one of the only times you get to go live in a completely new area, so you might as well take advantage of it. On the other hand though, when it comes to things like winter break, they always have difficulty finding a way home.  This brings in some complications, because they have to buy bus or plane tickets, and find a way to get to the stations.  I think the distance you choose to go away to school is based on your personal values.  If you want to have a new adventure and live far away, go for it! But there's also nothing wrong about wanting to stay close from home.  You will have a great college experience no matter what!

Large or Small?

In high school, my graduating class was only 96 students.  After living my whole life in a small town and knowing everyone’s business, I knew that I wanted to try something new and go to a large university.  A lot of people didn’t think I would be able to make that transition well, but honestly I love it.  I love meeting new people each day and taking advantage of the countless opportunities my school provides.  While I love the large-scale atmosphere, a lot of people believe in the “you’re just a number” mentality.  This doesn’t personally bother me, but I know many people feel like they get lost in the shuffle in large classes, especially if they are struggling in the subject.  As for smaller sized colleges, I don’t have any personal experiences at one, I know that it’s a much more personal experience.  Your classes are small, you recognize everyone around campus, and you can have closer relationships with your professors.  Just like your preferred distance from college, I think the size also depends on what you want out of your college experience. 

Do they offer my major?

When I was choosing a college, I had a difficult time because many schools didn’t offer the speech pathology major.  I had applied to a lot of liberal arts schools, but they were all ruled out because my major is often only offered at larger universities.  Basically in the end, the biggest decision you have to make is if your school offers your major or career paths that you are interested in.   There is also nothing wrong with being undecided about your major, but I would have been in trouble if I went to a liberal arts school and later discovered that my passion is speech pathology.  Everyone is different, so if you know that you absolutely want to study something in the liberal arts, then you have a lot of options for smaller schools that allow you to explore many subjects.  If you are interested in science, health, or technology, then it’s better to look into larger universities that provide research opportunities and internships.  However, if you are like me and are undecided until the last minute, then I would definitely suggest going to medium or large sized universities that offer majors in all areas.  A big thing to remember, is if you go to college and don’t like what you are studying, you can always pick a different major! It’s all about picking something that makes you happy. Personally, I think choosing a career path at 18 is way too much pressure, because you might not know where your true passions are yet!

  

Tuition, Tuition, Tuition

Although I said your major is the biggest college decision maker, tuition plays an equally large role.  After you narrow down your college choices, really take a look into which ones will have better affordability.  (Spoiler alert: they are all pretty expensive)  In general, state schools tend to be the cheapest, followed by larger universities in the middle, and private schools being the most expensive.  While a lot of private schools seem super expensive at first, once you factor in financial aid and the scholarships that they usually give, these schools tend to be only a little bit more expensive than your other options.  From personal experience, the larger universities and state schools usually don’t have the funds to give away tons of scholarships, so their tuition prices are about the same for each student.  One thing to keep in mind about state schools, is that their tuition is more expensive for out of state students.  This relates back to deciding about how far you want to go to school, because if you end up crossing state lines, then you might have to pay a lot more money.  Many people I know that went to a different state ended up going to private schools, because they were the same price for everyone.  While tuition may be a deal breaker for some schools, don’t be discouraged if your dream college is too expensive.  As long as you apply for scholarships and fill out your financial aid form, there’s a chance that costs may become a little more bearable!

Lastly, choose where you are happy!

In the end, when you decide on a college, you should just focus on where you feel comfortable.  I knew as soon as I went on a tour to my college, that it was the perfect place for me.  When I was walking around campus, I could just picture myself going to school there, which I couldn’t imagine at some of my other options.  Keep in mind that you will spend the next four years of your life here, so make sure it’s somewhere you can excel at!