Roommates
Living in a 12' x 14' residence hall room for a nine-month period can be an interesting transition for some students. Experience shows that the roommates who get along well are those who work at getting along well. Remember that your roommate doesn't have to be a mirror image of you. It is not necessary to share every aspect of college life with your roommate. In fact, learning to tolerate each other's differences without infringing on one another's freedom is a valuable part of your educational experience.
How They Are Assigned
The Assistant Director of Housing Assignments makes room assignments for all students based upon the information submitted by the student on FrogLife, the on-line housing questionnaire. This information includes:
- Hall choices
- Mutual roommate requests
- Expressed personal preferences (such as smoking vs. non-smoking, casual vs. neat room, and preferred sleeping hours)
TCU does not assign based on any information that may be found on Facebook, Xanga, MySpace, or any other external source.
Tips for Getting Along With Your Roommate
First of all, take this opportunity to learn about each other and develop a friendship. Approach this new relationship as if there will be no significant problems; the majority of the roommate pairs on campus are very successful. The following tips may be useful as you get to know and learn to live with another person.
1. Communicate.
Sit down with your roommate at the beginning of the semester and talk about your backgrounds, preferences and habits, emotional styles and moods, and personal values. This can be particularly helpful for those of you who choose to room with friends you have known before coming to TCU. Regardless of how well you may think you know your "best friend," you may be surprised to find out some things you did not know before living together.
2. Establish House Rules.
After discussing your values and preferences, establish some ground rules by which you will live together. Some common topics upon which you may want to reach mutual agreement include room cleanliness, borrowing each other's belongings, study time, visitation times, room security, etc. Write your agreements together in the beginning and it will help in resolving problems that may develop later.
3. Ask For Help.
If a difficult roommate conflict should develop at any point during the year, do not hesitate to go to your Resident Assistant, Head Resident Assistant, Hall Director, or Program Coordinator. Many times students tend to wait out problems until little irritations become major conflicts. Your hall staff is experienced in dealing with these types of problems and can probably give you some sound advice. Working out differences can provide a greater understanding of yourself as well as the other individual. Learning to communicate and compromise with your roommate will become a valuable asset.