Good advice, and it fits with a survey about roommates I read recently. The survey was done by CORT, a company that rents furniture to college students.
When asked to list their biggest roommate complaints:
29.2% said the chore wheel on the refrigerator was more of a decoration than an action plan. Cleaning was never shared
20.7% complained their roommate ate their favorite cereal and never replaced it.
10.7% said their roommate wasted water, electricity and other utilities which made the bills higher than expected.
9% complained their roommate sang Justin Bieber songs off key in the shower!
So the company put together the five “C’s” for getting along with your roommate.
1. Communicate: Your roommate may have a lot of talents, but reading your mind is not one of them. Talk about what you want to share, what level of cleanliness you prefer (and how to achieve this) and even your favorite pizza topping.
2. Clean: Maybe you and your roommate decide you don’t mind an apartment that is closer to a pig pen than a penthouse, but messiness in shared spaces is still a boiling point for roommates nationwide. At the very least, keep your belongings tidy in shared spaces and take out the trash regularly, unless you want your next roommate to be a cockroach.
3. Be Considerate: Whenever you are making a decision that impacts your roommate, consider the situation reversed. Would you want them to host a Mariachi band the night before your big exam? Prioritize your roommate’s needs like you prioritize your own and your relationship will flourish.
4. Coordinate socializing: Your college roommate can be more than the person you pass on the way to class. Grow your relationship with them outside the four walls of your apartment or house by inviting them on social outings and including them when you have guests. Minor disputes can be quickly resolved when your roommate is also your friend.
5. Compromise: For every potential squabble, there is a potential compromise. Offer to take your late night socializing to another location during the week, as long as guests are allowed over during the weekend. In every situation, look for the opportunity to meet halfway and you will almost always find a common ground.
It's some advice people should follow once they get of college as well!
Frank Graffof NC10:43AM August 07, 2012
@"Muser of NM"
Simple physics deems it more costly for the physical building to have private rooms--something people learn by going to college.
Rules and conflicts will exist whether everyone has a private space or not.
non-muserof OH4:56PM August 24, 2010
It's all good advice. But whoever dreamed up the completely nutty idea of shared rooms at college (or in hospitals or jails, for that matter) should have been shot. Oh, it's too costly, you say, to have smaller private spaces? No, it's too costly not to. You (or society) is paying a mint for you to be there and you're going to spend parts of your emotional energy on setting "rules" about others' housekeeping, others' music and others' girl and boy friends. INSANE!
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Frank Graff of NC 10:43AM August 07, 2012
non-muser of OH 4:56PM August 24, 2010
Muser of NM 10:29PM August 21, 2010