School is finally over, your bags are packed, you’ve said goodbye to your friends and family, and you’re off to attend one of the best engineering colleges in Chennai. A new city, with new people, and a new place to live – it’s basically a whole new world for you. And as you move into your hostel and settle down, you’re confronted with a major change in your life. Living with a roommate who’s completely unknown to you. How do you get along? What should you know about each other? What if you have nothing in common? Well, we know just how tricky roommate relationships can be. Which is why we’ve brought you a list of dos and don’ts to make your life a lot easier when living with a roommate in Chennai:
Dos:
Get to know them
Living with someone new can be a great experience and a chance to make a new friend. So, try to get to know your hostel roommate, especially when you first move in. Share your likes and dislikes and ask them about theirs. You could end up bonding over a TV show that you both like or a song that you both enjoy, even if you have nothing else in common. Finding out more about each other will make it easier for you both to feel comfortable sharing your space.
Be considerate of their needs
Your new roommate isn’t a member of your family. In fact, they probably grew up very differently from you. So, there’s a high chance that you won’t have the exact same way of doing things, whether that’s due to your schedule or your background. But the golden rule of having a good relationship with your roommates is to be considerate towards each other. If you’re a night owl but they have to be up early, compromise on a time for turning out the lights in your room. If you want to have friends over, but they have a test coming up, let them know in advance so that they can plan accordingly.
Communicate openly
One of the major reasons that roommate relationships can become tumultuous is due to lack of communication. This only leads to passive-aggressiveness and resentment. Instead, make it a habit to communicate your needs openly and politely with your roommate. Schedule a monthly check in so that you can both hash out any issues and catch up on life. If you’re both honest with each other about what you expect, you’ll be able to save yourself a lot of stress and unpleasantness in the future.
Don’ts:
Snoop
Living with someone can be quite an intimate experience. You end up sharing a lot of your life with someone who used to be a stranger. But that doesn’t give you an excuse to snoop into their life. If your roommate is a private person and doesn’t share much, allow them their privacy. And under no circumstances should you go through their stuff when they’re not around. Even if you and your roommate are cool with sharing, it’s best to ask for permission rather than forgiveness when it comes to borrowing something personal.
Invade their space
Remember that your room is a shared space, so it won’t be fair to your roommate if you’ve occupied more than half the room space in your ladies hostel in Chennai. Stick to your side of the room. Of course, there might be times when you need a bit of extra space, like if you’re working on a project or having friends over, but make sure you discuss that with your roommate first and see if they’re okay with it.
Force a friendship
Of course, you’d love to have the perfect relationship with your roommate, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. You could be two very different people and not have much in common. Maybe your schedules don’t match, and you don’t get a lot of time to spend together. Whatever the case may be, it’s alright if you and your roommate don’t end up BFFs. There’s nothing worse than a forced friendship, so if things aren’t working out organically, don’t go out of your way to make it happen. As long as you have mutual respect and are able to coexist in peace, you’re going to be okay. You’ll have plenty more opportunities to make friends.
These dos and don’ts should have you sorted when it comes to having healthy relationships with your roommates in college in Chennai. So, put them into practice and have a great time together.