As high school draws to a close and you prepare for student life at UCLA, you are probably incredibly busy. After all, you have to take finals, get ready for graduation, and find a summer job. At the same time, you are likely thinking about September, when UCLA’s fall classes start up again. UCLA off-campus housing is undoubtedly on your mind, and you may be looking at studio apartments for rent in Koreatown or off-campus student housing near UCLA. This brings up a great question: who are you going to live with? Even more importantly, how will you break the ice when you meet them? While there is a lot to be said for simply jumping in feet first and getting to know people, there are a few things to think about that can make living with a new roommate easier and go more smoothly.
First, be as open and honest as you can right from the beginning.
Before you move into your Koreatown off-campus apartment, take some time to think about who you really are. How do you like to go about your day? Are you a go-with-the-flow kind of person, or do you like to structure every hour of your day to maximize what you get done? What time of day or night do you like to study? Can you study with a blaring stereo, or do you need everything to be quiet? Do you care about what the thermostat is set at? Are you a neat freak or sloppy? What are your pet peeves?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions – only what is true for you. Remember: you won’t be able to live in your UCLA off-campus housing 100% according to your answers since flexibility will be key to a successful roommate experience. Still, it will be good to nail down who you are and what you can and can’t live with.
Now comes the hard part: discussing your answers with your roommate and listening as they give you theirs. Sometimes you will be on the same page. When you’re not, see if anything can be negotiated or if there’s a way to meet in the middle.
Next, define what happens in the kitchen.
One of the most memorable rooms in your UCLA off-campus student housing will be the kitchen. This is where deep, heartfelt conversations will occur, cooking experiments will turn out well or perhaps not, and numerous battles will be fought – or avoided. It all will depend on how well you and your roommate communicate in the beginning.
It’s time to get real here and to diplomatically discuss the rules for everything, including who goes grocery shopping, how the fridge is organized, if you can eat each other’s food, and who cooks and does the dishes (and when). Yes, it can seem strange to be so specific with someone you probably barely know. Keep in mind, though, that few things can start an argument as quickly as when you come home from a long day at school to your UCLA off campus housing and discover that the chocolate chip cookies you were looking forward to eating in your UCLA apartment are totally gone. Happy roommates agree in advance on what happens in the kitchen and then stick to the rules.
Remember to agree on personal space in your UCLA apartment.
Some people’s bedrooms really are their castles. It makes sense because when everything is going wrong – you are fighting with your significant other, you are behind on your bills, and you got a bad grade on a paper – all you want to do is go into your bedroom, shut the door, and be alone.
So, it is a very good idea to talk with your UCLA roommate about how each of you feels about people going into your room. Do you prefer that they knock first, or can you just come in? Discussing this can help both of you respect each other’s privacy, leading to fewer disagreements in your UCLA off campus housing.
Agree on how neat your Koreatown apartment will be kept and who will do the cleaning.
People’s preferences can really run the gamut here, so it might be helpful to break down your UCLA housing into “sectors” when discussing cleanliness. Your rooms, most likely, can be kept in any shape that you like, so center your talk on the bathroom, living room, and kitchen.
Some students will clean up their Koreatown apartment five minutes before their parents arrive while others will keep it immaculate. If you are honest in your discussion about how your UCLA apartment will be kept, you will probably avoid conflicts.
Now that you have settled on basic guidelines, it’s time to stick to them while going with the flow.
As you settle into life in your Koreatown housing with your new roommate, do your best to stick to the guidelines. Here and there, when one of you slips up, be quick to forgive and get back on track. Focus on getting to know each other and making memories. College really does offer some of the best years of your life, so have fun and enjoy every moment in your UCLA off campus housing.
Tripalink creates co-living communities and student housing opportunities across the United States. We simplify the apartment search to reduce the cost of living, create beautiful homes, and help both students and young professionals find a community in their city. For more information about Tripalink and co-living, please see www.tripalink.com.
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