In about a month or two, I will be notified as to who my roommate is. This is an especially nerve wracking time for me because I am envisioning what this person could be like and if I will be happy with the outcome.
I could have the option to go out and select my own roommate, or I could allow the school to match me up with someone. I was trying to decide if I should ask someone I meet at a STEP Day to be my roommate, but I was worried that I might not get to know a person well enough over the course of one day. So in the end, I am putting my faith in Franklin Pierce to select my roommate.
Many people say that first impressions can make or break you. This being said, first impressions are not always what they seem. What I mean by this is that your future roommate could be very grouchy, mopey, and not fun to be around when you first meet them. Even though they are exhibiting some less than stellar qualities at that moment in time, they could secretly be the best person in the world, but they could be plagued by that dreaded thing called a bad day.
I understand that everyone has a bad day sometime or another, but I find it important to make sure that my roommate’s attitude doesn’t remain like that. The key is to not be judgmental at the beginning, give the person a chance. However, in the words of Kenny Rogers, “know when to walk away, and know when to run!”
My roommate doesn’t have to be like me, different personalities can sometimes be good. I do know what constitutes my moral fibers however, and I also know that it would be great if my roommate shared similar values and ethical standards.
Part of the great thing about growing up and facing the real world is learning how to get along with others; unless you want to be a hermit and live alone in your house forever. I try to follow the Golden Rule; to treat others how I want to be treated. It is important to have common courtesy and respect for others. You don’t have to necessarily love every aspect of a person, but you need to show them respect.
I understand that there will be times where my roommate and I may have an argument, but at the end of the day, I need to be honest with myself. One of my best friends who is going to be a senior in college told me that if I have had serious roommate troubles and if I have tried resolving them in vain, then I need to switch roommates. Staying in a confined space with a person who you do not get along with can be disastrous for both parties.
Before I go to college, I want to make sure that I am as prepared as possible. I have a decent amount of friends who are already in college and I have collected some useful tips regarding roommates that I think would be wise to share with you:
1. Just like your house, your dorm room should have some basic rules that you and your roommate try to obey. Have a sit down with your roommate and come up with a list of do’s and don’ts.
2. Franklin Pierce allows students to bring mini fridges, TVs, computers, radios, and other electronics into your room, so figure out what items you and your roommate are going to share.
3. I think that I can speak for everyone and say that most people do not enjoy having others take their things and use them without asking, so make sure you do not borrow your roommate’s items without their consent.
4. Make sure that you set up a cleaning regiment of some sort. If you love living in filth then by all means don’t clean, but if you want to have a clean living space, you should determine who will be taking out garbage, vacuuming, sweeping, or dusting.
5. Acknowledge a person’s space. Personal space is something that is not meant to be messed around with. Either establish that your room is an open space where you and your roommate can put your things anywhere you want, or draw an imaginary line in the middle and sector off your halves.
6. Lastly, it is important to figure out how you and your roommate will handle overnight visitors to your dorm room, especially those of the opposite sex.
I am very excited to figure out who my roommate is going to be. I am very optimistic and am going into this situation with an open mind. I am not going to lie when I say that I will most likely Facebook stalk the crap out of my roommate once I find out who it will be. I will also resort to the age old phone calling technique and will be emailing as well. I can only hope that my roommate, whoever it is, will like me and not find me a royal pain in the butt.
If you are a sophomore, junior, or senior and have had any roommate nightmare stories, advice, or comments please feel free to leave a response so others can learn something from your past experiences. If you are an incoming freshman and have any similar thoughts or have found the advice useful please feel free to comment as well.
Stephen Keimig
Incoming Freshman
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