by Olivia Rinesmith
Living away from home can be scary. For majority of the students here at Ohio State ATI, this is their first time being on their own. Adjusting to living with people you haven’t known can be challenging. Eventually, you and your roommates will learn how to communicate and efficiently live together. At first, I thought that living with random people was going to turn out awful. I was totally wrong. The girls I live with have completely gone from strangers, to roommates, to best friends.
Here are my top three tips about living with your roommates.
Get to Know Each Other
Unlike many other campuses, Ohio State ATI has townhouse apartments rather than dorms. You could live with either one other person or four other people. No matter how many roommates you have in the apartment, it is very important that you get to know each other. At first, it can be scary opening up to people. BE YOURSELF! Make sure you are showing who you are so you can create a bond. Learn their interests — who likes to cook, who lives the farthest away, what classes they take. Making that initial connection right off the bat will help you feel comfortable as well as building a relationship with each other. I am truly blessed that my roommates and I created that bond from night one because things couldn’t be better! By doing this, it has opened up new relationships with their friends, lots of movie and game nights, several adventures and endless laughter.
Respect Personal Space
If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, you will be sharing a room with someone. Yes, I know, the majority of us are used to having our own room with our own space. The bedrooms at Ohio State ATI are set up so you can rearrange the area to your liking. It is important that you respect your fellow roommates’ space in the room, especially the closet space. As long as you both make some kind of schedule, it will make everyone in the house more compatible.
I will add that there will be times where you need your personal space to study or even just some “me” time. COMMUNICATE! Don’t be afraid to be open about when you need some alone time to study or relax.
Respect Each Other
One thing that is very important is that you respect each other. Whether that is about space or even just in general, respect is a major value that will lead you to a successful relationship. You heard it all through pre-school: “Treat others the way you wish to be treated.” This is easily the most important rule you’ve learned, as it’s entirely accurate. You want to treat your roommate and your roommate’s space as you want yourself and your space to be treated.