Part of being a college student is learning to live with roommates. Even if you shared a room with a sibling at home, it’s nothing compared to living with people you barely know. You can’t run to your parents when they make you mad, or threaten to beat them up, or… actually beat them up. Still, living with roommates is an important part of the college experience that you can’t miss out on. You learn to live with (and sometimes even love) people with completely different personalities and experience things that you will always remember. So to help you prepare, here are the five roommate types you might encounter in student housing.
The Chef
This is one of the roommates you hope to get. The Chef is a friendly roommate who, although they are spending thousands of dollars a year to study mathematics or biology, could get a job running the kitchen of a 5 star restaurant in the blink of an eye. The Chef is always cooking something new, delicious and loves to share. The Chef usually has an almost motherly personality (whether male or female) and likes to care for everyone in the apartment – keeping bellies full and tensions low. If you ever meet The Chef, do not lose them as a roommate.
The Rat
The Rat is like an anti-chef. The Rat can vary in personality, but one thing is constant – they eat everything, including things that don’t belong to them. Living with The Rat can be aggravating, even if they are nice, because as a college student, it’s just hard to deal with someone messing with your food supply. The Rat is annoying, but an easy personality quirk. The key is not to stoop to their level, but to be frank with them. Let them know you don’t appreciate them taking things that don’t belong to them and that you will be forced to take action if they don’t stop.
The Absentee
The Absentee is a roommate you may love or hate. They’re never there so they can’t cause any problems, but you also can’t get to know or trust them. If you’re hoping to make good friends with your roommates, having one or more of The Absentee can be disappointing. However, The Absentee is much better than some roommates, because they cause virtually no problems and make no noise.
The Sound System
The Sound System is a loud roommate. They talk loud, they laugh loud, they play music loud, they stomp and they have friends in and out of the apartment at all hours. The Sound System can be troublesome, especially if they are in the room next to you. Usually, The Sound System can be quieted with polite (remember: POLITE) intervention. If they don’t respond to your requests for a little more quiet time, it’s something you can take up with the office of your apartment building. They’re not a very courteous roommate, but they are usually fun… when they’re not, you know, disturbing your sleep and studies.
The Pal
The Pal is everyone’s favorite roommate. They move in looking to make friends with you and enjoy their time in the apartment. If you’re a college freshman, wish for The Pal. They could end up being a lifelong friend, but at the very least, they will get you through a stressful year. This is the roommate you order pizza with after a long day and complain about grades to. Like The Chef, this is a roommate – and friend – you shouldn’t let go of!
There are even more roommate types you could meet in student housing. What kind of roommates have you met? What roommates do you hope to meet? How do you deal with unruly roommates? Let us know in the comment section below.
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