Having a bad roommate is the WORST.
It's a really big change to start living with someone other than your family members, and all you can hope for is someone who is clean and polite, but that isn't always the case. College is supposed to be a fun time and a new experience, and you are probably living on your own for the first time. But, some people take exactly how they lived in their previous home, and bring it all with them, not considering that they are sharing a space with another person.
I'm talking about the annoying "hot girl" roommate, and the gross slob roommate. It seems to me that these are generally the two types that people get stuck with, and I was so fortunate to have had both!
As for the annoying "hot girl" roommate, the worst part about her is all of the boys and boy drama. At first you want to be her friend, and you care about her the first few times she gets dumped, but then you start to see a pattern. She's always bringing boys over and not telling you, or trying to get you to leave even though you were there first and she never told you before hand. She's constantly talking about the 10 different guys that are texting her, and bragging that she has three dates planned in one night. But then when she comes in at two a.m, and slams the door and wakes you up to tell you how bad it went, you just want to tell her how stupid she is. Eventually, after she comes in slamming doors and turning lights on in the middle of the night, for almost an entire semester, you have to draw the line. And don't forget the piles of clothes and makeup left scattered across the room because she's always in a hurry to get ready. Sure, college is the time to go out and meet new people and date around, but it's not just about looks and boys, you have to actually focus on school a little bit too. Don't put up with something that you don't like. Even if you have to get your RA or someone else involved to control a crazy roommate, do it. Don't let people walk all over you, especially someone you share a room with.
Now we can talk about the "gross slob" of a roommate. The person who doesn't do their laundry for weeks, and leaves her piles of clothes EVERYWHERE, even on my side of the room. This is the roommate that doesn't shower for days, even weeks at a time, and leaves your room having a stench that could make a person gag. Being a very clean and organized person, having to live with this girl as my roommate was like my personal hell. She would use one or two dishes for everything and leave them sitting out for days, even though we had plenty of dish soap and towels at our sink. The worst part, was that she would take my things without asking first. I would come back from class and find all my desk drawers open and half of my stuff thrown all over the place. I addressed that problem quickly and she was very kind about it, but the problem was she kept doing it, thinking I wouldn't know. So how did I know she was still using my things when I was gone? Because she is a messy person and leaves a disaster behind every step she takes. She left my things organized inside the drawers, but just forgot to shut them, so I would always have to go dig through her piles of junk to get my stuff back. Maybe I am a little OCD about cleanliness, but she was out of control. Your room is the one place in college you are supposed to feel comfortable and be able to relax, but that's hard when it's such a mess you can't even walk to your desk.
All you can really do in situations like this is suck it up and deal with it, and try your best to communicate with each other. It doesn't always work that easily, but having a bad roommate can definitely take a toll on your personal life and schooling. Being optimistic and offering solutions for both of you is the best way to get by living with someone else.
