When you first begin living with housemates, it can be easy to think it is just about sharing rent, but it is a lot more than that. In my opinion, I don’t think you need to be best friends with your housemates, but it is important to establish some sort of community early on. My first off-campus living experience taught me that good communication and shared respect are the key tools to creating a happy living environment.
At the start, my housemates and I were polite but distant. It wasn’t until we started doing small things together (watching tv, walking to campus together, going grocery shopping) that the atmosphere in the house began to change. We were no longer just housemates, but rather people who now were friendly and looked out for one another.
Like with any type of relationship, things are not always perfect. Everyone’s habits and schedules can differ, and there will be misunderstandings at times. But, being open, flexible, and willing to bring up issues as they happen, can make all the difference in the long run. Setting simple boundaries early on can help to avoid bigger issues later.
Living off-campus taught me that it is not just about where you live, but who you live with as well. Building that sense of community made my off-campus living experience a lot more meaningful and taught me how to deal with different types of people, and it is something I will carry with me going into every shared living experience in my future.