With the fall semester starting soon, plenty of people are getting ready to meet their new roommates. All one can do is cross his or her fingers that they'll get along with the new roomies and hope that only one of them has brought a microwave. Everyone dreams of the perfect roommate who turns into a lifelong best friend, but the reality is that those perfectly compatible people are hard to find, and it's not likely that your new random roommate will be the yin to your yang.
The realization that college isn't like the movies can be quite a shock at first, but just know that it's okay to not get along with your roommate! Hopefully, you two can at least tolerate each other and get along sometimes, but if not, there are still options. Don't let yourself become discouraged just because your roommate isn't the person you envisioned they would be and do your best to keep the situation positive.
My first roommate in college was horrendous — always yelling and angry, created plenty of crazy rules, and constantly throwing my stuff in the trash when I was gone. By the end of my time with her, I was at my wit's end and didn't know how I could possibly make it through another three or four years of college. But things didn't stay terrible! I made it through the whole ordeal, and nowadays I feel stronger for having had the experience. That's why I'm here, now, to give you some advice on how to get through the harrowing times and keep your eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel — moving away from that situation!
The most important tip is to just keep a level head and know your own boundaries. Living in close quarters with someone you don't get along with can really set tensions high, and keeping yourself from having outbursts of anger or frustration will, at the very least, eliminate half of the confrontations that need to be had. You'll also have the added benefit of knowing you did all you could to remain civil, and you can sleep at night knowing that you were the bigger person.
Don't be afraid to lay down the law and tell them what you're comfortable with and what isn't okay, but also don't let yourself make the situation from something uncomfortable into something hostile. If you find yourself turning red in the face, do your best to always be the one to diffuse the situation. It can be a lot of responsibility to put on yourself, but in the end, it can be the difference between being able to sleep in your own room or sleeping in emergency housing.
When all else fails, just avoid the situation. College is supposed to be fun, so just do your best to make your own fun with or without the help of your roommate. Join a ton of clubs, spend the night with friends when possible, visit your family, do whatever you can to keep your mind off your living arrangement. Don't forget that your dorm room isn't your "home," it's just where you are for now. Home is wherever your heart is, so don't let a terrible roommate take your home away from you!
