Arev Lima Boudakian, Contributor
As we all arrive at campus, many of us are moving in with roommates. Whether we’ve known our roommates for 4 weeks or 4 years, conflict may arise. However, not everyone understands, or is comfortable with, conflict resolution, so here are my top four tips on how to resolve any disagreements or conflicts you have with your roommate(s).
Talk to your roommate. Tell them that everything is going well, but maybe, just maybe, it’s their fault that your side of the room is messy. Don’t just come out and say it though, because this could anger your roommate.
Be assertive and use I-statements. “I cannot stand it when you don’t like me blasting country music.” By making it about you instead of your roommate, they are more likely to be receptive to your criticism and they might even stop trying to turn down the music for five minutes.
Pick your battles. The smaller the conflict, the less important it is to bring it up. If the conflict is really big and expansive, that’s the perfect one to bring up. Especially during really stressful times, people don’t want to deal with the little things like making too much noise when you’re still asleep in the morning. People would rather deal with larger issues such as how their cans of Red Bull are all completely on the their side of the room, but all over the floor.
Lastly, if you absolutely cannot resolve these conflicts, sign your roommate up for a plethora of unnecessary mailing lists.
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