By: Samantha Romano
What do I know about roommate problems? Well…a lot. In my freshman year, I lived in the shoebox-sized doubles in MAT. I walked into my room and thought it seemed impossible for people to share a space this small. Two people, one small dorm, and nine months of living on top of one another…sounds like a nightmare.
My first roommate seemed like my ride-or-die: Red Flag #1. We were inseparable for nearly all of our orientation. I thought I hit the jackpot until things took a turn for the worse. A nasty case of food poisoning had landed me in the ER. I returned home after being discharged only to find no roommate and a half-empty dorm.
It turns out she didn’t acclimate to UVM well. My hospital visit, in her words, spooked her. She lasted four days.
I connected with my second roommate through Instagram. After a long battle with Reslife, someone finally moved back in, and my dorm felt complete again. I was excited to have a new roommate. She was only excited to finally be on Athletic. Red Flag #2: I was sexiled on her first night. A few months later, she moved back home due to academic reasons. I never raced to Reslife quicker to pull in a friend. No way was I going random again!
My biggest advice would be to understand that you’re not alone in your struggles. I get why people don’t comfortably speak about their roommate issues. It sucks having to admit there’s tension in your dorm. Our dorms are supposed to be safe places to relax and unwind! Not a place where the tension could be cut with a knife.
Don’t depend on ResLife to resolve your issues. The staff are already stretched thin from dealing with hundreds of students every day. Moving can take months and is an unrealistic way to approach roommate issues.
Communication is key. Mature communication was the only way to correctly resolve issues sometimes. Sending a quick text or having an in-person discussion is an excellent way to make day-to-day changes. For example, one of my roommates had a very noisy alarm. It woke me up hours before any morning classes began. I was on the brink of losing my insanity until a small, simple text resolved everything. The key is refraining from engaging in any pettiness (no matter how much you want to). Remember to treat others the way you want to be treated!
My final word of advice is to find peace with your situation. Sometimes, you have to admit defeat. I discovered that spending weeks worrying about my roommate only worsened things. Life became so much easier once I put more energy into bettering myself. The college experience is not dependent on who you share a room with for 9 months. Don’t let one person ruin all that living on-campus has to offer!