Advice for the young grasshopper starting university -- Intro & Roommates

So starting in September it will be my fourth year attending university. Four years is what it takes to obtain a degree? Not for everyone and not for me.

University may be a big step for some. I have seen people drop out halfway through the first year because they feel unprepared or it's not right for them. Another reason may be that they're not fitting in. Later on they either resurface whether it is the same university they attended or switch to another university, even take things down a notch by going to college, or eventually they found a job somewhere and are on the road to becoming a manager of something of that sort. Others are okay with the transition and still continue with everyday life.

Whether people read this or not here will be some advice from my experiences dealing with:

1. Roommates
2. Dorm Life
3. Connecting with others
4. Campus stuff (includes info on textbooks)
5. Mid-Terms and Exams

Everyone experiences university or the college life differently. For me I chose to attend a university that is not in my hometown so this will be based on one who traveled to another part of the country to get an education. I guess I can put it halfway between the experience of someone who has stayed in their hometown as I haven't left the country and an international student as I have sort of entered a strange new world.

I haven't watched a lot of TV shows or movies that revolve around the university lifestyle but as you know a lot of things on TV are exaggerations of real life, except for Harry Potter which I can make a comparison to in terms of the houses. Though there is no magic involved the houses on campus compete in intramural sports and various activities that win the house either free pizza or money that goes towards purchasing furniture for the TV room. The dining hall even has separate tables for the houses.

So if you chose the path of living in the on-campus residences, chances are you're stuck in one room with another boy or girl who is around the same age as you are, or you may have your own little room and have to share a bathroom. In this days and age of e-mail and Facebook you can get to know your future roommate(s) or you can wait until you meet for the first time. Will you get along the first time? It's hit and miss. Some advice:

• If you have a sick roommate who is non-stop coughing, understand that they're just as annoyed as you, possibly even more because he/she has the bug.

From personal experience, at the start my first year I had a really bad cold. I was given penicillin before I started my first year and that wasn't working. I eventually got better meds and still I was coughing but getting better. The coughing was not only keeping me awake but my roommate too. She complained the whole time I was sick and every time I coughed violently she would think I was getting sick. My advice to you is to wait it out and sooner or later (provided that the meds are working) you may get some peace and quiet.

• If possible, take your phone calls elsewhere

This mostly applies to the roommate that communicates by cell phone, and possibly webcam. If your buddy says to take it outside, then take it outside. Unless your roommate's family is halfway around the world, if you have to talk to someone at 2 in the morning and your roommate wants to get some sleep take your phone call out of the room. Speaking of activity at 2 in the morning . . .

• Earphones are your best friends

Even if you and your roommate(s) like it loud you may want some quiet time. If you want to listen to music or watch a movie on the laptop at 2 in the morning while your roommate wants some shut-eye just plug in some earphones, whether they're from your mp3 player or the cheap ones from the airplane. If for some reason your earphone jack is busted, you can always go for the USB headsets. They may cost more but at least you can live it loud while the others around you can get some sleep.

• Do your share of cleaning the room.

You may have requested the roommate that doesn't really care about cleanliness and ended up with one that does, do your share of sweeping the floor every . . . well often. Maybe then your roommate(s) won't complain that they're always doing the work.

• Make sure that your roommate(s) are okay with you bringing in people and certain items

You may not be sexually active but if you feel uncomfortable with your roommate bringing in someone, tell him or her that you feel uncomfortable. Chances are they probably won't be screwing each other while you're in the room but if it gets too far and the roommate goes "it's my room too you know", take it to the proctor, saying that you have problems with your roommate. Same goes with bringing in items that you may not want in the room.

• Respect your roommate(s)' religious views and cultural stuff

Disclosing your religious beliefs can help you match up with someone who has the same religious beliefs. Again with the cleanliness point there could be the chance that you may be matched up with someone who may hold different beliefs. Also if you're with someone from another part of the world, whether English is their first or second (maybe even third) don't disrespect them. So what if they're different than you, you can probably learn a lot of what you don't know from them, just don't shove your beliefs down their throats.


My third and most recent year I moved to the apartment style residences where instead of having 2 people in 1 room it is 4 individual rooms in 1 room sharing bathroom and kitchen. All 4 of us got along well and I am looking forward to seeing 2 of them and a new roommate this coming September.

Next up: What's it like in a dorm