College Recruiting Logo
    Home Library College-University Site Map

Create Account / Log In

 
 
 
  Interest Profiler Interest Profiler 
  College Search College Search 
  Student-Athlete Resume Resume 
  Express Interest Express Interest 
  Student Library Library 
 
 

Customer Service

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Web collegerecruiting.com


College Roommate Personality Clashes: How to Survive


Are you living with your total opposite? It's amazing how different two people sharing the same (tiny) room can be. Even the littlest things can drive you crazy after awhile! You eat Big Macs and chicken wings while your roommate swears by tofu and beans; you like Coldplay and your roommate cranks up Tim McGraw. You're East Coast; your roommate is West Coast. Whatever your differences (and there are bound to be a few), you need to figure out what you're willing to live with and what's fair to ask your roommate to change.

Your roommate may have an accent that grates on your nerves, but that's not something you can ask a person to change. It's also not fair to expect someone to change his entire personality to suit you. It would be great if we could snap our fingers, and BAM, instant personality makeover! Not gonna happen. So, you need to separate personality traits from irritating habits. You won't transform your roommate into your new best friend, but you can make things a lot more bearable. Here are a few ideas:

Talk. If something's bugging you, bring it up in a non-defensive way rather than assume your roommate can read your mind. Nothing can change unless you acknowledge it. It's possible that your roommate may not even be aware of the problem.

Focus on behavior, not personality. It's not reasonable to ask people to change who they are, but you can ask them to tone down how they express themselves, especially when it's invading your turf. So, you can't criticize someone for being "perky," but you can ask for someone not to talk so much while you're studying.

Stay flexible. It's not your job to fix anybody else, and it helps to recognize that no one is perfect. Be willing to look at your own behavior. Consider what you could do differently to help the situation instead of only blaming your roommate.

Start with one pet peeve. What can you absolutely not deal with? What do you find extremely irritating, but could live with if you had to? There are probably tons of things your roommate does that get on your nerves. But nothing kills a relationship faster than listing dozens of reasons why you don't like a person. Instead, both of you need to list your number one pet peeve and focus your energy on solving that first.

Consider the positives. Before you decide that life would be better with a roommate exactly like you, think of what you could gain by living with your opposite. We're often attracted to people who are different from us because they represent qualities we wish we possessed. If you're shy, maybe being around a more outgoing person will force you out of your shell. When one person's strength makes up for the other's weakness, being opposites is an advantage.

Susan Fee is a licensed counselor and author of the college survival guide, My Roommate Is Driving Me Crazy! Solve Conflicts, Set Boundaries, and Survive the College Roommate from Hell (Adams Media). More college survival tips are listed on her site, http://www.myroommateisdrivingmecrazy.com


MORE RESOURCES:

National Post

NCAA Bracket Update 2010: St. Mary's College (University) Won Over Villanova ...
World Correspondents
I am very sure all alumni and students of St. Mary's University or Saint Mary's College are very happy as of now as they read this article. ...
St. Mary's Upsets No. 2 Villaova in NCAA Basketball TournamentBloomberg
Richmond Spiders Knocked Out in First RoundWTVR

all 1,596 news articles »


Canadian named top NCAA women's hockey player
National Post
The junior forward from Mercyhurst College was named Saturday as the winner of the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I ...

and more »


King's College University staff set for strike ballot over job threat
West End Extra
STAFF at King's College University demonstrated outside Somerset House at the weekend over plans to axe jobs. Members of the University and ...

and more »


Clutch performances help Mavericks run winning streak to eight
Grand Junction Sentinel
Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Regis University was a study in situational baseball for Mesa State College. ...

and more »


Title Dreams Come Up Short for Tornado, King 54-Northwestern 58
TricitiesSports.com
OAKLAND CITY, Ind. – King College led for a large portion, but the top-seed was defeated 58-54 by sixth-seeded Northwestern (Minn. ...
NCCAA National Title Contest for Tornado, King Wins 90-78TricitiesSports.com

all 3 news articles »


Demand for new homes inches up, building permits reveal
St. Cloud Times
Building permit values for St. Cloud residential and commercial construction increased from ...

and more »


College, university presidents pledge to make 'Pathways' a priority
Indian Country Today
SEATTLE – American Indian/Alaska Native students have a lot of strength to draw from at home: Family, identity, ...

and more »


MLive.com

Washington U. rolls into Division III finals
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Washington University Bears made up for scoring a paltry 18 points in the first half by netting 22 in overtime, ...
Hope women lose in Division III hoops finalDetroit Free Press

all 126 news articles »


Middlebury College vs Wesleyan University (Mar 20, 2010)
Wesleyan Connection
Lacrosse Box Score (Final) 2010 Wesleyan U. Women's Lacrosse #11 Middlebury College vs Wesleyan University (Mar 20, 2010 at Middletown, CT) Middlebury ...

and more »


Why are college students so hard to count in the Census?
Asbury Park Press
Until he took a statistics class on it this spring, Christian Reyes barely knew what the US Census was, ...

and more »

Google News