By Conor Brummell
The college lifestyle is unique, sometimes outrageous and most of the time something you wouldn’t believe unless you’ve been through it yourself. From late night parties to early morning lectures, you’re bound to meet a lot of people from different backgrounds. Be it your roommates, the guys next door or that girl who can constantly be found drinking four cups of coffee in a row in the college coffee shop, these people can make or break your time at college. Not everyone you meet will be your best mate; but sometimes good neighbours can become good friends. Based on personal experience, here’s my top five tips on how to be a good college housemate:
- Clean up after yourself:
Rule number one in any student house: keep the place clean. A generic one to start off with, I know, but in the year of our lord saviour that is 2019, some people still can’t grasp this concept. Whether it be the shared bathroom, the pile of dirty dishes in the sink or the lasagne growing mould in the fridge, just clean it. Students are renowned for being grubby (as much as we’d hate to admit it), so if you have yourself a housemate who loves cleaning, keep them!
- Keep the noise levels to a minimum:
We all know the type: the lad who has a guitar and thinks he can sing. Whether it is in the shower, the kitchen or anywhere, ask yourself: is there a need to be singing the same one line of any given song repeatedly? This also applies to after parties and bringing people home from the pub. Is it necessary to be blaring techno at 3am in the morning and keeping everyone awake? What about those strange times when the shower starts up randomly at 5am? The horrors!
- Always have a key:
Student nights out can be messy and can often result in things being lost. Losing your keys has implications not just for you but also for your groggy-eyed housemate who has to get up to let you in. It happens once, fair enough. It happens twice, it’s kind of annoying. It happens three times? Don’t be surprised if you get a butter sock straight to the side of the head as a result. (iCarly, anyone?)
- Having people over:
We all love to have our friends or romantic interests visit us. However, where do we draw the line between someone visiting and someone living in your house rent-free? It can be extremely annoying, albeit awkward, for some people who have to sit their housemate down and tell them their friend has to go. Make sure that the lines are always clear, and if they’re being crossed, nip it in the bud as soon as possible. Oh, and ‘if the bed board’s a banging? Don’t come a knockin’ (also maybe see point two).
- Be sound in general:
Whether it’s buying the milk for the house or a sharing bar of chocolate, being sound can get you a lot of mileage in the journey to be a good housemate. When people can rely on you for a bit of craic but also for chill movie nights, you’re going to be in high demand. It doesn’t need to be said but being nice can go a long way!