It is almost a rite of passage for Rutgers students to endure the infamous “RU Screw”—the inevitable, indescribable conspiring of Rutgers bureaucracy against you in areas like financial aid, dining, Rutgers buses, and scheduling classes on Webreg. Whether you’re a first-year or a graduate student, I guarantee that, at least once this year, you have experienced an unfortunate experience or chain of events resulting in a distressed phone call to a friend or a parent, a few moments of questioning all of your life decisions, and a pool of tears.
Perhaps the most notable instance of the “RU Screw”, however, derives from roommate assignments: your roommate talks in her sleep, she leaves empty food containers on the floor, her stuff is always on your side of the room, she steals your food items, she’s constantly inviting friends over without your permission, or you two just can’t seem to find absolutely ANYTHING in common.
If you were cursed by the “RU Screw” and given a roommate you can’t seem to find any common ground with, follow these tips:
1. Spend as little time in the room as possible to avoid confrontation.
If something about your roommate is really bugging you, just leave. Do your homework in the library. Eat your meals in your dorm’s common area/lounge. Only go in your room if you absolutely need to.
2. Use your RA as a resource.
Your RA is there to bounce ideas off of: this means that he/she can help you come up with ways to nicely approach your roommate when she is being a nuisance, brainstorm compromises the two of you can make, and even provide resources for switching rooms.
3. Try to stick it out.
Only move out of your room if you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. Remember that moving out is a major inconvenience and you will receive little help from Residence Life—especially if you are moving between Rutgers campuses.
You do NOT have to be friends with your roommate. Thus, unless your roommate is completely unbearable or puts you in any harm, just mind your own business and move on with your education. You have more important things to worry about.