By Theo Klinger, Contributing Writer
When you decide on a roommate, whether it is a random person or a friend that you have met the previous year, you don’t really think of all the things that could make your time in the dorm difficult. You have to get on the same page as your roommate as far as sleeping schedules, studying habits, and even simple down-time cycles.
For me personally, I never thought of all the things that I do that could be different from my roommate’s. For example, I grew up never being able to sleep in the complete silence. I was always told that my room sounded like a wind tunnel because of how loud I had to have the fan when I slept. If I don’t have a fan on, then I don’t sleep for the whole night. If my roommate is snoring, then the sound of the fan is useless.
I never realized how sensitive I was to sound while I’m trying to sleep until I came to college, and never knowing earplugs were my best friend until this semester. Though, with how different your sleep schedules could be, you may find yourself waking up along with your roommate’s alarm. Imagine having class 2 hours later than what your roommate is scheduled for, and you just managed to fall into a deep sleep only to be waking up to a loud alarm blaring.
Class schedules can be very different, and sometimes you feel like being alone would make you concentrate better. What if your roommate is in the room while you’re trying to get some homework done, blasting music or watching a ‘Netflix’ show while you have reading to do? Telling them to stop enjoying themselves sometimes sounds harsh, and would risk a new kind of tension between the two of you that shouldn’t be, especially when you’re living with someone. If you’re someone like me who is afraid of any kind of confrontation you try your best to push through it rather than put yourself in a better environment to concentrate. I don’t recommend doing that, especially seeing how my grades decreased dramatically for me throughout that struggle. Halfway through last semester, I decided that there were resources that would help me concentrate, and especially relax while I was doing my coursework. The library is the obvious option for complete silence and concentration, but I would recommend the Center for Academic Success if you’re looking for somewhere to just sit and do your work. Tutors are there for whatever you need and to be your support if you need some reassurance that you’re doing the best work possible. At the end of the day, your grades are more important than anything else.
