Top 10 Tips to Adjust with the Roommates

At last you have planned for pursuing studies in Australia. Now, getting a secured
accommodation along with a seat in the college will be your top priority. You may select
a single unit or apartment for accommodation or a shared one suitable for your budget.
Both single and shared accommodation has advantages and disadvantages. For
international students, single accommodation in a foreign country may often lead to
isolation and friendless situation. He will not be able to communicate according to his
wish.

Most of the international students opt for budget friendly shared accommodations and
face troublesome experience in adjusting with the unknown roommates. Once you gets
adjusted with the new living conditions, he can experience all sorts of cooperation and
home comfort being away from home. For the international students, bearing the “culture
shock” and adjustments with the room mates seem to be double trouble. But these factors
must be accepted with good spirit and should not destroy the morale of the student.

Tips to Adjust With The Roommates:

1. Before signing the deed, you must go through the terms and conditions of the
shared accommodation. If possible, it is better to discuss with the room mates and
the owner while finalizing the accommodation.
2. There should be a clear and transparent communication regarding the cleaning of
the commonly used spaces like bathrooms and kitchens. In self-catered
accommodations, students should stick to the terms and conditions regarding
usage of gas, crockery and cooking. If your food sends out irritating smell during
cooking causing discomfort to others, you will have to discontinue cooking that
dish.
3. You have to answer a brief questionnaire set by the residential colleges inquiring
about your habits and lifestyle. Such questions include smoking and drinking
habits, cleanliness, study habits, sleeping habits including food habits.
Vegetarians may resent staying together with the non- vegetarians. Based on these
queries, specific room mates compatible with his habits are allotted to stay with
him.
4. The adjustment problem is at the maximum, when 3-4 students of different
countries stay together in some private shared accommodations. Here, you have to
strictly follow the norms specified in the contract deed by the owner. Try to
develop a friendly atmosphere by frequent conversations regarding their
respective hobbies, likes and dislikes. Every student will become aware of each
others habits and behave accordingly.
5. Off campus private accommodations may not follow stringent rules and
regulations as the university owned accommodations or residential colleges. In
such cases, students must be considerate with the room mates and show their
friendly gestures. If you are into smoking and drinking, make sure that your habits
do not create any problem to your roommate.
6. If a student is fond of pets, he must seek prior permission of the owner and other
housemates before bringing the animal in the shared accommodation.
7. No two individuals can be of same mentality. If your roommate dislikes music,
you will need to satisfy your passion for music listening through headsets or
earphones. Similarly, long hours of chatting over phone may cause enough
disturbances to your roommate. You can develop a good rapport by showing little
bit of interest in your roommate’s hobbies, even if it seems uninteresting to you.
8. In shared accommodation, sharing of personal belongings develops with
friendship. It is totally unfair to use your roommate’s belongings without his
knowledge and permission. This will spoil the interdependence and
cooperativeness between each other.
9. If your roommates plan for a party, try to join the group heartily even if you are
not a party animal. It is not necessary for you to join every parties and occasions,
but it is not wise to remain aloof.
10. Respect each other’s beliefs and opinions regarding politics, religion and
sexuality. Never disregard other’s beliefs or impose your beliefs on others. A
student must not compromise with his personality and individuality, and it is
everybody’s responsibility to maintain each others individuality with dignity.