In most School Hostels, you don’t have the choice of choosing a roommate or even deciding whether to have roommates or not. In contrast, you can choose whether to stay alone or share a room with someone off-campus.
Should I have a roommate in School or not? I will share 8 Advantages and 8 Disadvantages of having a roommate in this article. Then decide if you can cope with the issues of sharing a room with someone. You may also click here to see 8 reasons to stay in the school hostel and 5 reasons not to try it.
According to Kent Ruth, A roommate is fellow human that you live with either male or female. It can be your brother, sister, relative, a total stranger which over time you get to know yourselves, it can even be a very close friend which happens to live with you but either way, as long as you both live together he or she is your roommate.
What's in this guide?
8 Good Reasons To Have A Roommate
The following are the top 8 reasons you may consider having a roommate in school…
1. Roommate Can Have Like Passion
If you have ever stayed with someone who has the same passion as you, then you can testify that they help extend your ability. I stayed off-campus in 300 level with a roommate who had like passion and like career.
We were both in Engineering, we were both bloggers and we were both into digital marketing generally. We both don’t smoke, drink or party. It was very easy for us to relate to each other. There was also something to discuss, there was always a similar goal and there was always a similar experience.
Our friendship further proved the saying that iron sharpeneth iron. Yes, you can have roommates that you guys will naturally flow together even after school.
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2. Some Roommates Are Helpers
Some times you are fine, some times you are not. Sometimes you get broke and sometimes you have cash. You are good at some things and bad at others. There is time you may have energy and time you don’t. Some days you just need someone to cover up for you.
Some roommates can do the following for you either once in a while or most of the time:
- Cover up for you
- Cook for you or allow you use their foodstuffs
- Clean up the toilet and the room
- Help you do your assignment
- Assist you with money when broke
- Help you know things you don’t
- Represent you or help you attend to some issues
Do you see it? Some roommates are helpers.
3. Transfer of Strength
With time, your roommate’s strength is likely going to be your strength. I stayed in the school hostel in my first and second year at the Taisolarin University (TASUED) before I started AidTheStudent.com.
My passion for reading and excellence was so contagious that others got connected. I helped to boost the GP of about 3 of my roommates to first class in 100 and 200 Level.
Now, picture a scenario where you live with someone who has a desirable talent or super ability. It will be very easy for you to tap into that grace.
A friend of a programmer, video editor, blogger, writer, public speaker, ardent reader, politician, marketer, business tycoon might end up becoming the next one. This is the transfer of strength and skills.
4. Roommates Kill Boredom
No matter how private you may think you are, a time will come when you will get bored. You, therefore, need someone to talk to. A lively and understanding roommate comes handy in most cases.
You need to at least forget about your worries once in a while. Some persons living with you can make that a reality. You guys can even discuss how pretty a particular girl or boy was or how some persons were engaging in examination malpractice in the last paper or life after school or which celebrity does it better.
Just imagine walking to the bank with your roommate to withdraw, view Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp status together or watch a football match together. You can even discuss Jamb days and how you guys got admission. You can even gossip lecturers. All these things make life in school sweet. Life is good!
Also Read: How To Start A Blog And Make Money In School
5. For Emergency
Staying alone, people won’t know what is happening to you. A good roommate in school will come to your rescue when you need to be rushed to the hospital and when an alarm needs to be raised, to console you when you are totally devasted, to help you out in certain situations. This is one of the best reasons to have a roommate.
There are even small emergencies, for example, rats or cockroaches partying in your room or there is a news to gossip about. You can just shout out to your roommate for rescue (lol).
6. Getting School Updates
There are some happenings in school that you may not be aware of. But be rest assured that you will get the gist from your roommate provided you guys are in good term. Roommates are school news carriers.
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7. Source of Connection
Some roommates can bring favour and connection to you either while you guys are still in the room or in the future due to how you were good to him or her during school days. The influence of a roommate can get you covered in most life situations. Nobody knows tomorrow. Be a nice person!
8. You Will Learn To Tolerate
Before now, you may expect that everyone should be like you or do things the way you wish. Things are far from reality. People will always contrast your habit, belief and expectations. Have roommate will teach you how to tolerate and bear with people after a series of friction and disagreement.
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8 Reasons Not To Have Roommate in School
The following are the top 8 reasons you may consider not having a roommate in school…
1. No Privacy With Roommate
Privacy is the biggest issue of having a roommate in school. So long you are in the room, your roommate sees what you eat, how you sleep, what you say on the phone, your health condition, family issues, how you bathe, friends who visit you, your academic situation and almost every visible thing about you.
There are things you love to do, you can’t just do them because you live in the room with the person and don’t want issues. You limit the friends who come to visit, how you play music, keeping the light ON because your roommate doesn’t like darkness, etc. To an extent, you just have to please your roommate in school.
Another thing is that you sometimes don’t have right to your own property. For example, the foam may be for you but your roommate brings friends to sleep, you can’t hide your foodstuff or provision but your roommates consume them more than you.
Picture many of similar scenario. With a roommate, you virtually inconvenience yourself so that peace can reign. You can’t even allow you relative come stay with you for a while. Some roommates can go a long way to use the secrets and weaknesses they find out against you. In this case, we can say that roommates are dangerous.
Also Read: 8 Reasons To Stay In School Hostel And 5 Reasons Not To
2. Contrasting Lifestyle
Having a roommate is like being in a relationship with someone; you guys need to be compatible or believe in the same thing to an extent. Staying in the same room with someone who has a different belief and lifestyle can be disastrous. For example:
- You are neat but your school roommate is dirty
- Your roommates play loud music but you have hate noise
- A different taste of music and favourite artists
- One discusses football with visitors but the other hate sports
- You may like loud prayers and your roommate hates it
- One is a party type and the other isn’t
- One is a saint and the other brings in boyfriends or girlfriends.
- One smokes and drinks but the other doesn’t
You can picture 101 contrasting lifestyles and see how it can make having roommates kill your vibe.
3. Transfer of Weakness
With time, your roommate’s weakness is likely going to be your weakness. With some roommates, you begin to do things you normally don’t do; get angry easily, keep malice, lie, cheat on your partner, clubbing, laziness, indecent dressing and more. Even if you’re already bad, you would inherit another bad habit from your roommate.
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4. Annoying Habits
Just like your faces are different, so also your habit is different from that of the person you are sharing room, toilet and kitchen with. Some roommates get so annoying that you prefer to stay outside than your own room. Some won’t flush the toilet, some will turn the kitchen to trash, won’t wash clothes, everywhere smelling, etc. There are a thousand and one attitudes of some people that would completely piss you of.
5. Coping With Your Roommate’s Friends
Sometimes, the issue might not really be between you and your friend; but between you and their friends. Some roommates will let you know that they love friends coming over. You may not even have issues with them bringing friends over but the attitudes of their friends can get you pissed off.
6. Disagreement Is Unavoidable
Quarrel, malice, fight or disagreement is completely unavoidable so long you have a roommate. Even husbands and wife disagree, boyfriends and girlfriends fight, brothers and sisters fight, how much more someone you may not have even known if not for school? You should expect this and learn to cope or settle disputes very fast.
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7. Boring School Mates
Roommates in school should keep themselves engaged, play, gist, gossip, do assignments together, read together and attend night class together once in a while. On the contrary, some roommates are so boring that you even feel alone having a roommate.
8. Some School Roommates Are Stingy
You shouldn’t have a sense of entitlement. Yet, you should enjoy certain benefits from the person you call roommate. Some of them are so stingy. Wouldn’t help you with cash when you are in need, wouldn’t allow you to touch their provision, wouldn’t even let you borrow their things in peace. Having stingy roommates is very annoying.
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In conclusion, having a roommate has the good and the bad side. Whether or not to have a roommate ultimately depends on the type of person you are and the things you can’t tolerate. If you eventually decide to have a roommate, make sure you choose a good one.
This article is based on my experience at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and similar cases reported from University Of Lagos (UNILAG), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Delta State University (DELSU), FUNAI, KASU,
University of Illorin (UNILORIN), University of Calabar (UNICAL), Abu Zaria, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Auchi Polytechnic, Yabatech, Lagos State University (LASU), University of Portharcourt (UNIPORT), University of Ibadan (UI), Laspotech and other higher Institutions in Nigeria.
