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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2004)
The roommate factor For college students, living away from home can be a test of temper and sanity, but there are methods of coping By Jonah Schrogin • Freelance Reporter Co-ed. Same sex. Best friend. Residence hall buddies. There are many options to consider when thinking about a roommate Students can live by themselves in a single residence hall room or in a one-bedroom apartment. It's possible to rent an apartment for two, three or four people. And some live in a house that can accommodate up to eight people. Sophomore Michael Thomp son lived in a single residence hall room this year after living in a double last year. He said it was important to share a room for one year, but he enjoyed having the extra space of a single. "It's hard to share such a small space with another per son," he said. "Once you've had the experience of sharing, there's no need to do it for an other year." Thompson said even though he lived in a single room, "It's still community living." He said he liked that there was always someone around, and that he did not have to wor ry about making his own food. "If you're coming back (to * the residence halls), a single is the way to go," he said. Another possibility is to live with one other person, be it a random roommate, a friend or a significant other. A student, who did not want to give her name, lived with a male friend in a two-person apartment. "I didn't expect to be the only one who was cleaning all the time," she said. "Eventually, about two months ago, I went on strike, and my apartment's been disgusting ever since." The mess got so bad she .stopped enjoying coming home. She said a reason for their problems was the lack of com munication early in the year. She said she will use her knowledge from this year to ensure a better living situation next year. "I'm going to have to lay firmer ground rules (with my new roommates) from the be ginning," she said. "We just fig ured we would work it out as we went along which has not worked out." Based on her experience, liv ing with a friend of the oppo site sex was difficult. "Try to know the person you're living with," she said. "You should really make sure you're compatible with that person. It has the potential to min a friendship." Junior Brian Taylor is living with his girlfriend of two years this year and is planning on doing so next year as well. "We have disagreements and then it sucks, but other than that it's pretty good," he said. "I'd do it again if I had to." Taylor said a benefit of living with his girlfriend is that he is never alone, and he doesn't have to go back and forth be tween her place and his. He said living together is not the best sit uation for all couples, however. "It depends on the type of relationship you have," he said. "It doesn't work for everybody. You have to evaluate your rela tionship and see if you're at that point." There is also the possibility of living with three or four peo ple of the same sex. Junior Nikki Probst is living with three other girls, all of whom she knew prior to mov ing in with them. She said some of the chal lenges of living with three oth er people include having peo ple pay bills on time and sharing things such as food and chores. She said there is al ways hustle and bustle in four bedroom apartments. "I think it's good because you're not always by yourself, it makes the utilities really cheap, and you have a guaranteed Fri day night date," she said. Probst reiterated the impor tance of knowing the people you're going to live with. "If you don't really know them that well, things can ex plode in your face," she said. Sophomore Ben Nussbaum lived in a house with four fe males and one male this year. He said he liked his living situation especially because he missed out on living in the res idence halls a year ago. "I got lucky and got some roommates that were pretty low maintenance as far as the drama factor is concerned," he said. Nussbaum said the most in teresting part of living in a co ed house was when two of his roommates started dating. Nussbaum said in-house dat ing could create problems, but after the couple broke up, the two were still best friends. Even though this situation worked out Nussbaum advised against Tim Bobosky Photographer Resident assistants sophomore Krystal Collins (left) and junior Mary Geisler make their 10 p.m. rounds in the Hamilton Complex Thursday. in-house dating. "Try to establish a no-dating in-house rule because it will help avoid drama," he said. Nussbaum said living in a co-ed situation could be fine if a person has a personality compatible with living with the opposite sex. "It's a lot of fun," he said. "I got lucky with having good roommates, and that's what it comes down to in any living situation is having good room mates." 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