An extreme example of how NOT to deal with your roommates. Photo by Kasie Bussard
Coping with new roommates can be a crazy adventure or a disaster. So the question stands, how can Snow College students deal with new roommates? Everyone comes from a different culture and background, and when a ton of strangers have to live together it can be pretty challenging. It is very common for a roommate to unintentionally participate in behavior that the other roommate doesn’t appreciate or understand.
Morgan Berg, a student at Snow College, lived with someone from Nepal. He recalls, “He didn’t understand sarcasm and so I would say sarcastic things and then he would interpret it as me being rude rather than funny, so he would get ticked!”
Morgan and his roommate came to the decision to respect that culture gap and it ended up not being an issue.
Another way to deal with roommates, that many Snow College students suggest, is to have roommate meetings at the beginning of the year to establish these expectations.
The earlier students can understand each other, the easier it will be to deal with future problems. Respect and sharing expectations helps many students deal with their roommates, but if you can’t connect with your roommates it still can be challenging.
Jake Giles, a junior at Snow College, has roomed with different people each year he has been at Snow. He gives this advice, “No matter who you’re roommate is you can always find a similarity. Nothing else can bring people together better than common interest.”
Try to remember that it is possible to bond with someone over anything, no matter how silly or deep, so reach out! Try to find activities that all the roommates can enjoy and that will bring everyone closer together.
Kaci Eliason has experienced the benefits of bonding with her roommates. Eliason has one roommate from last year that she became really close to, “She knows me front and back and it is so nice to have someone there for me at all times!” Keep in mind that connection, boundaries, and respect can all help with dealing with roommates and help all Snow College students have a good year and experience at college!
Sophie Huff
Sophie Huff is a Snow College student who wants to major in communications. She is from Logan, Utah, and she likes to watch comedy movies and sing. Sophie is interested in the Communications major because she is intrigued by the diversity of people, and is very interested in how people act and talk.