This post will be a continuation of the last post – Some of the types of roommates you may have in college. Earlier, I profiled some of the types of roommates and living situations you will have to deal with. Here is a recap of what they were: The High School Friend, The Party Animal, The Homebody, The Non-Existent Roommate, and The Foreigner. Today, I will go over some new ones. Now take note that I will not be able to profile all of the situations, but I will do the best that I can. Also today, I will go over what it is like to live with more than one roommate.

6. The Slob and The Neat Freak: 

I didn’t bother putting these types of roommates in two separate categories because they are basically the opposite of each other. The Slob is disgusting. While they may have a pleasant personality, they simply just don’t clean up after themselves. Their belongings are always on a mass on the floor, and often, their things will ooze into your personal space. They are highly disorganized, never having all their school supplies in one area, and if they borrow something from you, you will more than likely never see it again, or it will be returned completely different. In the worst of situations, they may even have bad hygiene! On the other side, The Neat Freak, is completely anal about everything. They may be neat and organized, but they try to force it upon you as well. If you are a slob, this is understandable, but if you are not, this may be a little extreme. Everything is labeled in the room, and your roommate may freak out when anything is out of place. They have set rules for keeping the room clean, and if you don’t follow them, they will strongly disapprove. For both of these individuals, you need to set boundaries. If you happen to be dealing with a slob, politely ask them to clean up after themselves. If the situation is bad enough, you may have to have some rules about keeping the room clean. If you are dealing with a neat freak, same rules apply for setting boundaries. While it is a good idea to have standards for keeping the room clean, they are not a parent to you, and should not be dictating how the room should be.

7. Mr./Ms. Raging Hormones:

This person is a bonafide sex machine. They seem to be engaged in any form of sex imaginable. Phone sex, sexting, web cam, etc. This person may be in a so-called “serious” relationship with one individual, and constantly brings them to the dorm, often asking you to leave so they can do the deed. Or you may be dealing with a person who is promiscuous, they have different people from all walks of life come into your dorm. Listen! This is completely unacceptable. You shouldn’t let them do this because that gives the roommate license to do this repeatedly! Yes, the room may belong to both of you, but it is very rude for them to ask you to leave your own room. You should be able to enjoy your room as you please. If the problem persists, ask them to take the party elsewhere.  Also be sure to look into your residence hall’s visitation policies.

8. The Socially Awkward Kid: 

Now this kid may be weird to you. They may have strange habits that you just don’t understand. They may always seem to be in the room, lurking and moping. Their social skills are probably poor, so they don’t know how to communicate with you or interact well with others. Make an effort to talk to them, and see what is going on. Invite them to do roommate bonding activities, and ask them about their interests so that you can help them get connected with organizations so that they can meet other people. In unique cases, some roommates may suffer from mental illness or have psychological problems. If you can, make sure they get the help they need, if they start behaving in a way that is a threat to you, seek some professional help immediately. If you start to notice something really strange, make sure you know how to contact your residence hall authorities, health center, etc.

9. The Thief:

This person conveniently “borrows” your things without asking and mysteriously gains new items often, and you don’t know where they came from. If they simply borrow something such as a pen from your desk or the stapler, make sure they know you would appreciate it if they asked before taking your things. If this person gradually moves on from taking things from your desk to taking things out of your closet, drawers, bins, etc. this is a serious problem. Dorm rooms are usually small, so common sense should tell them that you will notice they have some of your belongings eventually! Contact your residence hall and/or campus authorities. You can’t put up with a thief. If they are stealing things off your desk and out of your closet they could steal your money, and identity too!

9. Others:

There are so many other living situations you could be stuck with. But a lot of the same rules apply as with the situations in this post and the last. You may be stuck with someone with a completely different field of study, different sexual orientation, different morals.

LIVING WITH MORE THAN ONE ROOMMATE

Sometimes in dorm living, you may have to live with more than one roommate. Most of the rules apply as above, except you are dealing with different personalities. I will use my former living situation as an example:

I am an out-of-state student. So of course, I didn’t know a soul when I arrived at school. I was blessed to be able to live in a nicer dorm, but the only down side was I would have two roommates. There is a lot more compromising that goes into a three-person arrangement, especially if you are living with three completely different personalities. Sometimes it’s hard to come to a mutual agreement. With one other person, you can split things 50/50, but with a triple, there is more of a majority-minority thing going on. If the other two want something that you don’t, they will more than likely win out. Luckily for me, my roommates and I got along well for the most part. My next door neighbors on the other hand lived in a triple as well, but two of the girls had a fight with the one. The worst thing about living with more than one roommate is the fact that if you have a falling out, it is either one against two, or two against one. This can be a nightmare if you are the mediator of the triple, or you are on a side all your own.

A PARTING NOTE

Wow! That was a lot of stuff to cover. But there is so much more in this vast subject. I will explore neighbors, moving off campus, and the kinds of dorm environments you will live in later posts.

Regardless of your situations, before, during, and after you do what you can to help it!