At the beginning of each semester,as new students and returning undergrads flock into their dorms on campus, theyreceive their room keys not knowing who will be on the other side of theirdoor.
As they find the roommate they willbe living with for the next three months, they soon find afterwards if theirrelationship will work out well. Then there are some who find their roommateexperience to be not so pleasant.
In order to make a bad relationshipturn good and a good relationship great, students can follow a few tips inorder to have a successful living arrangement.
According to the SouthernUniversity housing department guide “Roommate Connections,” new roommatesshould first understand they do not need to have a lot in common. CatherinaBrown, a freshman psychology major from New Orleans, believes the easiest wayto handle this situation is to room with someone you know.
“I don’t mind living with astranger,” she said. “But I rather live with a friend so I already know what Iwill have to deal with.”
No matter if roommates are friendsor strangers to one another, they should remember to compromise. SU Housing Director Marilyn Hillreflected on one of the biggest problems with roommates.
“In order for roommates to have asuccessful relationship, they must be willing to communicate and compromise.”she said. “Organize the room together so both roommates can feel at home.”
Sharing everything may not be thebest idea.
“We didn’t know each other, so weboth brought our own stuff,” said Brittany Carroll, a freshmen fashion designmajor from New Orleans that lives in Alice A. Boley Hall. Her roommate is Marquisha Holt, a freshmanbusiness management major from Slidell and they have separated everything intheir dorm room.
“We borrow stuff from each other,but it is easier having our own stuff. There is no confusion about what belongs to whom. We don’t fuss over what to watch on TVbecause we both have our own to watch,” she said.
In some cases, after a couple ofyears, students decide to get apartments or houses off campus. This entails finding a roommate forthose who cannot afford to live on their own. Most people think finding a roommate is easy: pick a friend,move in and live happily ever after. This works in some cases, but the process is not that easy.
Living in an apartment or housewith someone outside of your family can be similar to living in a dorm, exceptfor one major difference: bills. Everyone in the apartment or house has to be responsible for something.
Kellen Daranda, a seniorengineering major from New Orleans, who has been living off campus for twoyears, says the main thing toremember about picking a roommate for off-campus living is to make sure yourroommate can pay the bills.
“I live with two other people thatI know can pay bills on time. I could not deal with a person who could not paybills,” Daranda said.
Sharing in the maintenanceresponsibilities is also very important to maintaining a harmoniousenvironment.
“Me and my roommates have houseparties. We don’t have anyproblems, because we all throw them together. After the party is over we allclean up. As long as the house is clean, nobody complains,” said Ottis BrownJr., a senior business management major from New Orleans.
It is often said that sometimesfriends do better living apart, but if friends do decide to live together, itis important to remember to respect each other’s belongings.
One thing that bothers some peopleis having a friend as a roommate that borrows without asking.
“As long as my roommate puts mythings back, I don’t care whether or not he uses it,” said Dustin Prestage, asenior architecture major from Houston.
Living with a roommate on or offcampus is not always as easy as it seems. With compromise and understandingthough, certainly things can work out for the best.
