Life with Roommates

It is not necessary to request a specific roommate.  As a matter of fact, meeting and living with someone new could turn out to be rewarding.  If you would like to request a specific roommate, you may do so by using our online application process for each campus.  Roommate requests must be mutually confirmed by each individual.  If you decide that you do not want a specific roommate, you will be assigned one using matching criteria that you answer as part of the housing application process.

Once assigned your roommate information will be available in the housing application portal.  Please use that page to learn about your new roommate and reach out to them to introduce yourself.

• You will have someone to go places with and to try different activities on campus.
• You will always have someone to talk to.
• You will get to know someone who you will never forget and who you may be friends with for years to come .
• You will learn a lot about yourself and how to adapt to various situations.
• You will learn how to make compromises.
• You will possibly have someone to study with.

The experience of living with a roommate is not one that you will soon forget. Your roommate relationship can be one of the best experiences that you have while in college. The conversations that you will have, the things you will learn about yourself and each other, the times that you will share, and the memories that you will make will be ones that you will be able to look back on and smile.

There are a few things that you need to take into consideration when living with a roommate. All roommates have the same basic rights in their room and these basic rights will be the first that the Residence Life Staff will uphold if there is a conflict. Discuss these rights with your roommate and determine how each of you interprets these rights and what will need to occur in the room to ensure these basic rights are met for ALL students in the room.

Contact your roommate(s) prior to moving in.  Get to know each other and determine who will bring what on move-in day.  Bring only half of what you need for the first three to four weeks of the semester and plan to be flexible and open to your new roommate(s).  Part of living with someone is the ability to compromise. Even if you have known someone for years, but never lived together, you will learn some new things.  Here are some useful rules of the road.

1. Complete a roommate agreement (see the next section regarding roommate agreements).
2. Be honest with your roommate and let them know when something may be bothering you.
3. Your roommate has a right to read, study, and sleep just like you do.  Try to keep noise, guests, and other distractions to a minimum.
4. Don’t borrow your roommate’s stuff without asking.
5. Personal space is personal space.  Respect your roommate’s privacy.
6. Many of our units have common area spaces such as a living room and kitchen.  Try to keep your personal effects in your room or tidy in the common spaces so that they don’t interfere with others.
7. Keep it clean.  Regular cleaning and setting up a schedule of cleaning will help reduce roommate disputes.
8. Make sure your guests know and follow the rules you and your roommates have established.
9. If a roommate conflict should arise, your Resident Advisor can use the roommate agreement to mediate the situation.

Residence hall staff members are available for assistance in settling conflicts. There is also an official contract known as a “Roommate Agreement” that acts as an extension of the Georgia Southern University Student Conduct Code. Residence Life Staff will assist you in deciding on the terms of this agreement. There are several areas of concern that are addressed in the Roommate Agreement that you may want to discuss with your roommate before conflict arises.

1. Cleanliness of shared area(s) (This may include bedroom, kitchen, living room, or bathroom)
2. Guests (How long they are welcome, when they are welcome, who is welcome, etc.)
3. Using roommate’s personal items (What is appropriate, ask prior to use, replace used items, etc.)
4. Study Time (When do you each of you study, what sort of background ‘noise’ is appropriate, etc.)
5. Communication (How to communicate with each other, where notes should be left, will you take messages for each other, etc.)
6. Music and other types of noise (What type, how loud, when is appropriate, etc.)
7. Sleeping habits (Are you early morning/late night, can you sleep with lights/TV/music on, etc.)

Your roommate relationship, as stated, can be one of the more positive aspects of your residence hall living experience! Your roommate may become a resource, someone to talk with, someone to attend events with, or someone to hang out and have fun with. Even though you and your roommate may be completely different, this relationship can be and should be a positive one. The key to this relationship is communication, patience, flexibility, caring, and understanding!