Living off campus with friends can be a super fun part of the undergraduate experience. You’re on your own, no bedtimes, and you can eat whatever, whenever, without the restrictions of Jennings. It’s basically one big sleepover… but you’re the one stuck doing the dishes the next morning. 

A lot of the time people rush into their off-campus housing with their closest friends without thinking of the changes that living together full-time poses on their relationships. I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories of people thinking that living with their friends will be the best decision of their lives, but through lack of communication they end up resenting them. If you are planning on living with your friends, and want to continue to be friends long after, you NEED to make a Roommate Agreement. 

Let me elaborate; you will disagree on how your place should run. Just the other day my three roommates and I had a twenty minute discussion about the proper way to play UNO; (I said you can play more than one card at a time, Lauryn said otherwise). This is a silly example, but things like this can easily transfer into more serious areas. How often do we clean the floors? How do we divide up the fridge? Who does the garbage this week? Little issues like this can pile up and leave roommates feeling bitter towards each other without ever addressing what is really a very simple issue. 

The solution? A Roommate Agreement! 

My roommates and I made one around the same time we signed our lease, about eight months before any of us even moved in. The highlights included rules about the Common Areas (dishes need to be done ASAP), having Guests over (roommates need warning before they come!), and perhaps most importantly a Feelings clause where roommates agree to address personal problems with the person themselves and not go behind anyone’s back. The goal of this Agreement was to prevent any silly little issues from coming between our two-year long friendship. It’s always better to get things out in the open before they become a ‘problem’. Talking through what should be on your Roommate Agreement with your roommates is a fantastic way to bring up concerns you may have without calling anyone out and it lets you clear the air before you’ve even began living together. 

Something that is really important to understand that most people don’t realize until they’re living with roommates is just how different everyone’s childhoods and backgrounds are. Everyone has their weird quirks, everyone has little habits and pet peeves. These shouldn’t be a major point of contention in your place if you acknowledge their presence and accept that living with roommates is a learning curve. 

Roommates can be (and are) so much fun. These friendships that made you want to live together in the first place are always worth saving, which is why you NEED to make a Roommate Agreement. Get it all out in the open, address your concerns, and don’t take anything too seriously. Now enough of all this; let’s get back to the sleepover! :)