Roommates

Living With a Roommate

Chances are that at UNC you will learn more about yourself and others than at any other time in your life. As you are surrounded by other students who are excited to live, learn, and become a part of the University community, there are a slew of new experiences and memories that await you. Perhaps the biggest change for a student moving from their home to the residence halls is living with a roommate. Some students hope that it will be like having a permanent best friend, while others envision a scary person who they have nothing in common with. Typically, it is somewhere between these two options and knowing what to expect is the key to having a great time living with a roommate. Having a positive relationship with your roommates, suite mates, and floor mates will create great experiences.

Students who have experienced living with a roommate offer the following advice:

Be realistic, don't expect to be your roommates best friend or them to be yours. Even the closest of friendships can be strained by constant contact.
Communicate, if your roommate is doing something you don't like, express your feelings. It is better to talk about concerns before they become a major problem. Know what you want, do you prefer to study early in the morning or sleep in? Do you want visitors to be out at a certain time or are you okay with overnight guests? Letting roommates know what you expect is the first step to having a great relationship with your roommates.
Remember your RA is there to help!

Some frequently asked question about living with a roommate:

Should I talk to my roommate before move in day?
Absolutely, the best thing to do is to get to know your roommate. What do they enjoy doing? What majors are they thinking about? Why did they decide to come to UNC? Once you are comfortable talk about what you expect to get from your time in the residence halls? Are you really focused on studying, are you a ready to get out and meet people, or are you somewhere in the middle? Will your room be a place to study or a place to socialize? Even if your expectations differ knowing makes you conscious of each other's needs.
How should we decide who brings what?
Make sure you know how big your room will be before you lug huge things up. A room generally only needs one stereo, one TV, one Refrigerator and one microwave. Most students prefer to have their own computer. Decorative things like furniture and rugs could be bought once you're there together so you can split the cost and see what will really fit.
Should I live with someone I already know?
Sometimes living with a friend lets you learn more about them than you necessarily wanted to know. A person you know as a friend is not always the person you expect as a roommate. Roommates who are also close friends, and have similar interests can spend too much time together and burn-out. Often a history of friendship can be ruined by sink full of dirty dishes or some other small argument.
I like my roommate, but we are very different, will things work?
Often having a roommate who contrasts with you works out the best. If you start with schedules & expectations of neatness, but have different friends and interests, you have often found the ideal roommate. Knowing what to expect of one another and being able to discuss any problems, without risking becoming so dependent upon one another that a roommate problem will harm the friendship.
What if I hate my roommate?
How much time have you spent in the residence halls together? Students typically spend the first month adjusting to school, and are still trying to learn to live on their own. If it has been longer than a month, think about why you don't like living with your roommate. Do they have a different lifestyle than you? Have you talked about the problem, or just gotten frustrated? Communicating this frustration is often the best way to solve a roommate problem. If you have tried to work it out and are just not able to, talking with your resident assistant is another great way to help air your frustrations and help solve the problem.

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