Ah, roommates. In nearly every case, they’re a source of stress, frustration, and annoyance. Sometimes they’re problematic in super minor ways (she talks during your favorite TV show, which is not that serious unless said show is Pretty Little Liars), but other times they’re legitimately bad (they steal from you, bully you or make you feel unsafe/uncomfortable in your own space).
There are all kinds of roommates that bring all kinds of roommate drama – but in our experience, these five roomie types are among the most common.
1. The party girl:
At first she seems super fun, but somewhere between the time she wakes you up a mere hour before your alarm goes off (she was just getting home from a wild Monday night out) and the time she vomits all over your rug, you start to see this roommate for what she really is: a hot mess.
This is one of the more difficult roomies to have, because she won’t just disrupt your routine, she’ll also put you at risk for getting in trouble for underage drinking, being too loud, or having drugs in your room. If you wind up rooming with one of these girls, proceed with caution and do your best to establish some ground rules.
2. The total slob:
No matter what you do there is absolutely no way for you to make your tiny little dorm room look cute because half of the room is in a state of complete disarray. You could deal with the clothes all over the floor but the stinky pile of crusty used dishes on her desk? Nasty.
Her trash can overflows all over the floor and you’re pretty sure her sheets have never been washed. You try as hard as you can to set a fair cleaning schedule but the fact remains: Her standards of cleanliness are very, very different than yours are. If you live with one of these people, know that you can pretty much either clean for both of you or just resign yourself to living in a state of constant mess.
3. The recluse:
She’s in the room when you leave in the morning and when you come back after a long day of classes followed up by dinner….she’s still there, most likely in the exact same spot she was in when you left her. She never, ever leaves. Forget about going out at night – she barely even leaves to go to class (she prefers to take them online.)
She probably doesn’t make a lot of noise or have people over but her mere presence just sort of makes you feel….stifled. You just want a few minutes to yourself in a room that is technically as much yours as it is hers. (You probably will get about 10 minutes of this precious alone time a day, usually while she is showering.)
4. The wannabe mom:
She will constantly nag you when you stay out late. She’ll look at you disapprovingly when you come home after a few drinks. And don’t even think about bringing a boy over on her watch…mad drama. She’ll always have her homework done in a timely fashion and she’ll judge you for lounging around in the evening instead of getting to yours right away. You’ll probably never want to be besties with her, but years after moving out, you just may think back and realize living with her was sort of a blessing in disguise – after all, she helped you ace most of your classes!
5. The too attached-to-her-boyfriend:
If you get paired up with one of these girls, prepare to listen to lots of kissy noises. The good news? You’ve got a built in drinking game: Just swig every time you hear the word “baby.” The bad news? You can never change in your room because he is ALWAYS. THERE. You’ll wake up every morning to the sight of his large feet poking over the edge of her twin bed. And don’t think you’re spared if the attached-to-her-boyfriend roommate is in a long distance relationship. I lived with a girl who dated a guy from another school and was forced to endure nightly conversations about what kind of engagement ring she wanted (at the ripe ol’ age of 18.) FYI, they broke up as soon as freshman year ended.
