If a person has been a student, is a student, or will be a student of Mississippi State University, then chances are that roommates are or have been in the cards for them. How can they best avoid becoming the pariah of their living arrangements? In other words, how can they avoid being a sucky roommate?
Look, living with people is hard. No matter how close of a relationship there is between roommates, conflicts will occur. Someone takes too long in the shower and uses up all of the hot water. Someone else leaves their laundry in the washing machine for hours on end. Another person refuses to put away their dishes until it is the end of the month.
Everyone has their quirks, most are not discovered until after the lease has been signed, and sometimes people are going to get annoyed. However, this is not a blanket excuse to be a bad roommate.
Sage Graham is a junior studying German and has lived with the same roommate for three years. Graham weighed in on how they maintain a healthy living environment.
“For me, it is just all about communication. Do not just let it stew if something is bothering you or you need some kind of change,” Graham said.
Things like “playing loud music” or “inviting a lot of people over” without advance notice can cause major stress in a household, according to Graham, so give everyone involved fair warning.
Still play music, still spend time with friends, just do not catch your roommate off guard — it is extremely unsettling to have to make small talk with strangers occupying the living room you were headed towards.
Melissa Darby is a first-year graduate student studying applied behavior analysis and has had a total of ten roommates over the past few years, on and off campus. Like Graham, Darby emphasized the importance of good communication as the foundation of a positive relationship between roommates.
Darby also mentioned cleaning dishes quickly after use and being respectful of shared spaces as things she tries to do to be a good roommate. After all, there is little in college life that is more frustrating than trying to eat a mid-study bowl of Froot Loops only to find that not even a butter knife could fit between the faucet and the pile of dishes that someone else made.
Lindsay Culpepper is a senior studying wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture. She has had a total of seven roommates while at MSU. Just like Graham and Darby, Culpepper also mentioned the significance of communication amongst roommates, as well as the importance of respecting others’ belongings and communal spaces.
“Be generally courteous,” Culpepper said.
When hearing these stories, two simple rules come to mind. Number one: talk to the people you live with! No one wants to live with a ghost who never seems to be around, but no one wants to live with a permanent human fixture in their living room either.
Number two: be respectful. Maybe you grew up in an environment where you never had to touch a vacuum or had others cleaning up after you, but this is college and you are an adult now. Act like it. Take responsibility for yourself and have pride in keeping your space livable – even if your private bedroom is not always so pristine.
But a good rule of thumb is that if you would be mortified if someone you loved or respected were to enter your space unexpectedly, then you may need to skip going to the bar and use a Swiffer instead.
Of course, everybody has their off days. A person could be a phenomenal roommate most of the time while still annoying their cohabitors on occasion. That is normal. That considered, however, be sure to keep these tips in mind next time you tell yourself that you will wash that plate tomorrow.
