Problems are unfortunately all too common with college roommates. There are many reasons why these can come, including the following.
It is difficult to live so close to a person
Many students are used to having their own private space from when they were in high school. They may have had their own bedroom and a lot of common room in the family home. Suddenly they are right on top of someone else. It can be hard to lose their personal space. They may grow frustrated by the lack of privacy. They may fight over little things because of their frustration.
Differences in schedules can cause problems
It can be very hard when you live in one room with a person and have different schedules. Let’s say one person is a morning person and is up at the crack of dawn. The next person likes to stay up late until 2 a.m. This difference in schedule is not at all uncommon and can be very frustrating for people. People might get sleep deprived. Also, they may have trouble studying if the other one wants to listen to music or watch television. It is very difficult when you want to sleep and can’t, and this can cause friction between roommates.
It is difficult to share
You may have to share certain things with your college roommates. You may have one fridge, microwave, television, phone, etc. You might end up fighting with your roommate over the use of these different things. You may feel like they take advantage of the time or take more than their turn should be. Also, you might get frustrated if they take, touch or use something that is yours. They may also have problems with the people that you bring over or vice versa, which can cause even more problems.
The students have difficulty enough adjusting to school
It is challenging to go to college. You are in an unfamiliar place and getting used to independence. Some people find this very stressful, to begin with, and they may take out these feelings of frustration on their roommate. They may end up being the scapegoat for all that is wrong.
A lot of times, little problems occur between college roommates, but these can end up adding up and spiraling out of control. It is important to keep the lines of communication open with your roommates to try to help avoid potential problems.