Along with learning the Buff Bus schedule, what days to avoid the food in the cafeteria and where the least-populated bike racks are, freshmen have to learn how to live with a basic stranger in a small room.
An unofficial poll was taken of CU students around campus. The survey asked about room etiquette and how students delegate and deal with situations within their own rooms.
How do roommates deal with different sleep schedules?
“We both sleep whenever we want. There are not really any conflicts,” said Charlie Bezouska, a 19-year-old freshman anthropology major.
“Make them deal,” said Oliver Tully, an 18-year-old freshman biology major.
“I wouldn’t drastically change my schedule, but I would make sure I was as quiet as I could be,” said Lizzie Szoke, an 18-year-old freshman open-option major.
How does cleaning the room work between roommates?
“We don’t share a room, but we do share a bathroom, and we will definitely tell each other if things are dirty and should be fixed or cleaned,” said Kyle Rohan, a 21-year-old senior sociology major.
“We both are pretty messy, so it doesn’t bother either of us,” Bezouska said.
“I’m kind of messy, so I make an effort to try and be cleaner,” said Max D’hauthuille, a 19-year-old freshman history major.
How do roommates feel about music tastes and/or volume levels? How do they feel about the other roommate’s music habits?
“We ask to turn it off when doing work…but they love my beats,” said Faulkner Griffin, an 18-year-old freshman international affairs major.
“I always use headphones, unless there is a mutual genre that we like,” said Eileen Wu, a 21-year-old Chinese literature major.
Do roommates share food and space completely, somewhere in between or is it entirely separated? How is fridge space allocated?
“We share food and space. The fridge space is just whoever wants to put stuff in can,” said Parker Baruh, an 18-year-old freshman open-option major.
“He can touch anything but my guitar,” said John Heule, an 18-year-old freshman open-option major. “We share the fridge without talking about it, and everything else is separate.”
“Yes, we share,” said Julia Walther, a 22-year-old studio arts major. “There are some divisions, but common areas include the fridge space and limited amounts of food.”
How do roommates feel about each other having friends or boyfriends or girlfriends over?
“We are both okay with it as long as it’s not disruptive,” said Jessica Ellis, an 18-year-old freshman pre-journalism major.
“All right, if it isn’t everyday. I’m not comfortable with the sleeping over though,” Wu said.
Do roommates deal with trash and recycling well, or do issues arise over taking it out or not taking it out?
“Haven’t taken the trash out yet,” Tully said.
“We do it when we clean the room,” said Matt Hooper, an 18-year-old freshman open-option major.
“Whoever sees it needs to go takes it out,” said Cameron Cowart, an 18-year-old freshman open-option major.
How do roommates navigate changing clothes? Do they change in the bathroom or closet, or do they feel comfortable changing in the room?
“I mean, I don’t like get nude in front of him, but I don’t know. It works out,” D’hauthuille said. “I guess I’ve never seen him change.”
“We both change in the room,” said Christina Ganoe, an 18-year-old freshman MCD biology major.
“We have more private areas in the room where we turn towards while changing,” Walther said.
If you have a TV, who brought it, and is it shared? Is it ever an issue during studying?
“I brought it. We share it,” Cowart said. “The only issue is when one has lots of homework and the other has nothing to do. So the TV is on and the volume is down.”
“No we don’t split-up turns. I brought it, and it isn’t an issue with studying,” Baruh said.
If roommates are having issues, how are they confronted?
“Confront, rather than letting anger build up,” Ellis said.
“It depends. Usually play it out,” said Christina Savinar, an 18-year-old freshman pre-journalism major.
“Hell yeah, confront them. Roommate or not, I don’t take [expletive],” Hooper said.
Do they ever feel like you need space and alone time after being in such close quarters?
“Yes, luckily I’m from Boulder, so my parents’ house is 10 minutes away,” Szoke said.
“Yes! I leave to go somewhere else; it’s hard to find a place to hang. Sewall doesn’t have that,” Heule said.
What are methods of coping with roommates or just the living situation in general?
“Just be real,” said Annemarie Tortorigi, an 18-year-old freshman open-option major.
“Just live my life, and deal with things as they come,” Savinar said.
Contact CU Independent staff writers Amalia Arguello at Amalia.arguello@colorado.edu and Emma Franklin at Emma.franklin@colorado.edu.