As the semester winds down, many students are looking forward to going home for a little bit more than mom's home cooking.
For many students residing either on campus or off, roommate problems can be a cause of stress at this time of year.
After cohabitating with someone for four months, there's a good chance tensions in the room or house are running a little high these days.
"I think there's a bunch of things that can cause problems between roommates," said Casey Fitzpatrick, a sophomore communication major. "I think having different sleep habits, making noise or playing music, and having people over, are some pretty common problems."
Having people over in a small space can be disturbing when someone is trying to study or get work done, especially if it entails noise or music, according to Fitzpatrick.
"Having people over all the time, especially a significant other, can get annoying after a while," said Tiffany King, a sophomore biomedical chemistry major. "Also when a roommate uses the other's things without asking or uses them too much, it can get on someone's nerves."
When these problems occur, it could be hard to deal with on an interpersonal level. Handling your own reactions to these disturbances can be a sticky situation, according to Fitzpatrick.
"You have to make sure you talk about it with the person," Fitzpatrick said. "Don't talk to others first, and let them find out that way - that will just create more problems."
Speaking up and clearing the air is important, according to Sabrina Hill, a graduate student of the School of Law.
"When I had a problem with my roommate, I was really passive about it, so the problem was never solved," Hill said.
Initially avoiding conflict is a good idea, but the process becomes wearisome after time, according to Hill. Eventually tensions can rise to a boiling point, and emotions are likely to explode.
"I tried to be polite when I had a roommate who was bothering me," said Arsalan Tariq, a sophomore pre med student. "After a while, the whole situation was just too annoying to deal with."
To try and avoid these problems, some students retain strict preferences about whom they choose to live with. Rooming with friends is usually an easy choice because there is an established relationship, and each person is aware of how the other behaves.
"I think it's harder to live with a stranger because you don't know what you're going to get, where with a friend, you already know," Hill said.
To others, living with a friend may seem to be more of a risk, Tariq said.
"Don't think that just because you are good friends, that you are going to be good roommates," Tariq said.
When these problems arise, the important thing to keep in mind is that the situation isn't permanent. Students who are in the residence halls have a little bit more of an advantage here, because they can always request a room change if it is necessary, according to King.
"When I had a problem with my roommate I went and told the RA," King said. "She helped my roommate find a new place to live so she was able to move out."
University Residence Halls & Apartments' contact office is located at 106 Spaulding Quadrangle.
