For some people, a roommate is a best friend they live with. For others, it's a person they share a living space with until the end of the academic year.
No matter the situation, it's common for roommates to disagree.
"Typically, it's a mind thing," said Michael Merritt, resident assistant of three years and senior in health administration. "(Roommates) just automatically assume that (the other person) won't understand what they're trying to say so they say very little. There's a lot of back and forth, like, 'You always get mad when I do this.'"
According to Earl Myers, RA of three years and senior in psychology, most roommate disagreements occur because of issues with cleanliness.
"If my standard [of cleanliness] is higher than the next guy's, then of course I'm going to be dissatisfied and that's going to lead to a lot of conflict," Myers said. "You have to find a nice balance between both residents."
Myers said another common conflict between roommates is disrupting each other's sleep schedules.
"The schedules of the two people will be totally different," Myers said. "So, if one person wants to go out and party all night and the other one wants to go to bed by 10 p.m., the person who goes to bed early will find it a lot harder to share the same room."
Myers said disagreements occur because of a lack of communication.
One way to resolve many roommate disagreements is to establish a roommate agreement, which can help set boundaries.
According to Merritt, random roommates are more communicative of their problems than roommates who are friends beforehand.
"(Random roommates) don't know what to expect so they're very open to things," Merritt said. "They're also less afraid of saying, 'Hey, I really don't like it when people do this,' and the other roommate is like, 'Yes, totally. I can totally not do that.'"
Another tip is to find an unbiased mediator to be present when discussing a roommate disagreement.
"Try not to get your friends because they're obviously going to side with you over the other person," said Maya Hackett, RA at Cambridge and junior in media studies. "If (you choose) someone who's friends with both of you, it can feel like a wedge in the friendship, because eventually it may feel as if someone will have to choose a side."
When dealing with a difficult roommate in the dorms, Myers said don't be afraid to talk to an RA.
"Unless you have a resident with some strong counselor vibes, it's really hard to get four 18-year-olds to sit down and have a calm conversation," Myers said. "If they all sit down and have one mediator, someone who's neutral, to talk and mitigate the situation, it can be handled in a safe, peaceful and effective way."
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