Pros and Cons of Having a Random Roommate

It’s no secret that roommates are a staple part of being in college.

A lot of people decide to room with their high school buddies or people they already knew, possibly through mutual friends. However, there are situations where you may have to live with someone you have never met before, which can be kind of a scary thought. We all wish we could live with our bestie, but sometimes, living with a stranger can end up being the best route. There are good and bad elements to this living situation, so you can decide for yourself if a random roomie is for you.

Pros  

1.    You can experience so many new things.

College is full of people from various backgrounds — it’s part of what makes the experience so amazing and eye-opening. Temple has a lot of international students that come to campus — just imagine rooming with someone from across the globe. You could learn so much about their culture and maybe even try some of their food, which is a definite plus. Heck, you’ll still be learning a lot if your roommate is from a different state or even a different city. A roommate from California is probably going to seem pretty awesome compared to your life in rural Pennsylvania. People who are raised in different areas than you will have different hobbies, interests and characteristics. This creates possibilities for you to learn things about yourself that you never knew.

2.    Teaches you how to live with someone and respect his or her space and boundaries.

Living with someone is hard, no matter what the circumstances. Living with a friend may make it a bit easier, for you can get away with more than you would be able to with a stranger. Living with someone you don’t know will definitely test your ability to respect others and their space.

3.     There is no pressure to be friends so you can have the opportunity to be independent.

If you decided to room with your lifelong best friend, then you may not feel the need to get out and explore any other options of friends. You’d end up going everywhere together. I mean you’re in college with your best friend, who wouldn’t do that? But, this can stop you from meeting new friends in class, at dining halls and while out at parties. Your new roommate could turn out to be another one of your best friends, but if she doesn’t, you have all the time in the world to go find another one. Don’t sell yourself short in college — meet new people, open yourself up to change and become comfortable with new experiences.

4.    If they’re a cool roommate, you’ll have access to all their cool friends.

Face it, sometimes it’s hard to get in with the ‘in’ crowd. You may not get invited to the frat parties and you probably aren’t even able to get in a 20-foot radius of that football player outside of class. But, if your super cool roommate knows super cool people… I guess that means you’re super cool too.

5.    You will learn something from them

No matter who it is or when they came into my life, every single person I have met has taught me something — and a random roommate would be no exception. Your roommate may teach you not to stay out all night partying because then you will realize it’s a lot harder to get up for those 8 a.m.s — we’ve all been there. She may teach you that the cute boy from your IH class isn’t all that into you, sometimes we all need that honesty. Hey, she might just teach you that you literally can’t stand living with someone. No matter what the lesson, you’re learning more about other people and yourself.

Cons

1.You have no idea what your getting into

When you don’t know the person you’re moving in with, there is a lot of stuff you don’t know. You don’t know if they‘re clean, if they will like you, or if they have a boyfriend that may come over all the time. You don’t know anything about the situation you’re about to walk into. That’s why it’s always best to meet up with your roommates a couple times before actually moving in with them. Hang out with them in different scenarios such as getting a coffee, going to a party, binge-watching Netflix, or grabbing a bite to eat. Seeing them in different areas of life will help you get a better idea of who they are.

2. Your roommate may not be respectful

There are situations where roommates just don’t care about personal boundaries — they don’t care about your roommate contract, your cat allergy, or the fact that the last bag of your pizza rolls was for you and not for your roommate and her friends. Some people just live their life without caring about the people around them, and you need to prepare for this possibility. Sometimes you may have to rethink your living arrangement or just play dirty and give them a taste of their own medicine. However you want to deal with it is up to you, but sometimes, just a simple confrontation is the way to go.

3. Your roommate may not be anything like you

We’re all different human beings with unique characteristics — even if those unique characteristics of others are super annoying. You and your roommate are going to be different, whether you like it or not. For example, maybe you’re an animal-lover who’s just trying to pet every dog in the world, while your roommate, on the other hand, gets annoyed by a simple bark. This is why it’s encouraged to talk to your roommates before moving in with them to find out about particular topics, like this one, so you can avoid any drama. While living with a roommate, there will be a lot of times that you’ll just have to compromise and deal with things you never imagined dealing with. This will help you prepare for life in ways that you couldn’t even imagine. Flash forward 10 years: you’re at work and your coworker loves chomping on his pen because it makes him think better. Unsurprisingly, this makes you want to rip out each strand of your hair one at a time.You can’t force him to stop, but you can communicate with him that it bothers you, and what he does after that is up to him. Translate this situation back to living with a roommate — clearly, communication is key. Also, writing a contract will help minimize the disagreements or arguments, allowing a free space to lay down the ground rules. At least then everyone knows what is expected of him or her.

4. No matter what you do, your roommate may just be a mean person

As Taylor Swift once said, “why you gotta be so mean?” No matter how many dinners you cook for them or how understanding or open you have been, your roommate just may have a mean streak and things may never get resolved. Not every roommate situation is perfect, so prepare yourself for possible problems.

The biggest issues roommates have is not communicating with one another. You can’t expect your roommate to know how, where and when you want things — because you never told her. Make sure to have bi-weekly or monthly house meetings to ensure there is an open space for communication. If there are any issues at hand, it can be discussed at the house meeting… although anybody should feel comfortable discussing their issues at any time. Regardless of your living situation, don’t let it affect your time at Temple too much, there’s a whole campus (and city) out there to enjoy. I promise your life goes beyond your shoebox of a dorm room.