White girl in green jacket sitting on desk with two white guys in dormroom

4 Quick and Easy Tips to Break the Ice With Your New Roommate

A new college roommate can be a great opportunity for a new friend or a total nightmare. Here's how to go about getting to know your new college roommate.

So you just found out who your roommate is, and there’s not much communication going on. This is an understandable problem. How do you talk with your college roommate? Sometimes it takes people a while to open up. Just try your best to get to know your roommate. Here are a few tips to open up the communication.

1. Make the first move and introduce yourself

Sometimes the best way to get things going is to just introduce yourself. And you can do this even over the summer before college starts! It may take some of the pressure off (and even make it exciting) when you finally meet in person if you’ve been talking for a week before. Start off with a friendly hello and a little bit about who you are. Keep the introduction simple, and you’ll be chatting in no time.

2. Ask about their college plans

Asking about your roommate's life, interests, and goals is an easy way to find out if you two have anything in common, like sports, clubs, majors, or even future careers. You might already know some of this information, but it always helps getting to know who your roommate is. This information can clue you into how often they’ll be around your dorm room too.

Related: Strangers or Besties? Developing a Good Dynamic With Your College Roommates 

3. Talk about dorm room needs

You already have one big thing in common: where you’re living! So before the school year even starts, you can talk about your dorm needs, which can really get a conversation going. Who’s bringing the mini-fridge? Who’s bringing the microwave? Each college has a list of things you can and cannot bring to campus. Refer to that list when talking about this. I know one of my suitemates is bringing the mini fridge and the television for our suite, then another one is bringing the microwave, and I’m bringing a K-Cup coffeemaker. We have a text group chat going, and we post in it when we talk about new things someone is bringing.

4. Plan a meet-up

If your roommate lives locally, or if you both can find a way to meet in the middle, this is an excellent way to get a good grasp of who they are. You can tell a little bit about a person by how they act out in public too. This is often less true when it comes to how they act on social media. Anyone can put up a front and face online. You’ll learn a lot about your roommate by their body language, mannerisms, and social skills. Just as you will be studying them, don’t forget they will be studying you too.

Related: Living the Sweet Dorm Life: 8 Roommate Communication Tips

Everyone is a bit skeptical about college roommates, so don’t worry if you’re feeling nervous too. You're sharing a new living environment with someone you don’t even know. This can be difficult and maybe a bit challenging if you're not used to it. Just try to relax and take a deep breath. You both will be fine!

For more advice on getting to know other new students at school, check out our Student Life section.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Emily Barylske

Emily Barylske

First things first: I'm on the hunt currently to pay for my college in free money, and I'm a huge supporter of getting all of the college scholarships you can before taking out student loans. I love taking photos, reading, and writing in my free time. I am currently involved in school clubs such as FCA, choir, and yearbook. I hope to help you and encourage you in your college and scholarship search process.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Monica

Monica

High School Class of 2023

Being a sophomore in high school, I never really worried about college. I thought it wasn't important to worry about until senior year. Through this program opportunity I came across, I realized how important it is to start looking at colleges early and start planning ahead. CollegeXpress has opened my eyes to what colleges require, what colleges are near me, and what they offer. The daily emails I get from CollegeXpress really help me look at the different options I have and what colleges I fit into. Without this website, I would not be taking the time out of my day to worry about what my future will be nor what opportunities I have. I could not be more grateful for such an amazing and useful website. It's thanks to CollegeXpress that not only me but my family now know how much potential I have in to getting into these colleges/universities that we thought were out of my reach.

Lu Diehl

Lu Diehl

High School Class of 2022

I never would have found the college I plan on attending without CollegeXpress! I've always been a person of ambition and have been dreaming of studying and working on my passion for law, legal studies, and political science. Washington College is where I plan on pursuing my career. My journey with my education has been difficult, and oftentimes, I was told I would never amount to much, but now I'm dual enrolled at Caroll Community College and have had experience in the fields I am dedicated to. Without the help of CollegeXpress (even in its early days), I would never have found Washington College and the information I need to apply and become a part of their community.

Amari Toussaint

Amari Toussaint

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me narrow my school choices down from 10 schools to four and then two. It also gave me information on a school I had never heard about or thought about attending until now, which is the school I will be attending in the fall. I am thankful for CollegeXpress and its helpful tools.

Tinuola Dada

Tinuola Dada

$2,000 Community Service Scholarship Winner, 2015

I am very excited to be this year's recipient of the Multicultural Student Community Service Scholarship. This scholarship will bring me ever closer to my academic and professional goals. CollegeXpress has been an exceptional resource to me, and I recommend it to all rising seniors as they begin to navigate the college application process.

Cameron Lee

Cameron Lee

High School Class of 2022

I used CollegeXpress to search for colleges. It helped me narrow down the schools on the West Coast and which schools had Construction Engineering programs. I made my decision to go to OSU and I am so excited about it.

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In

University of Louisville

Louisville, KY

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO

Grand View University

Des Moines, IA

Coe College

Cedar Rapids, IA