<p>So it turns out that my roommate gets to move into the dorm a week before everyone else, and im worried that he will take up majority of the space and choose the better bed and best placements on everything :( </p>
<p>is there a way that I could get equal space and some good area? </p>
<p>and did this ever happen to you guys? and how did you resolve it?</p>
<p>If they get there the week beforehand, they’re GOING to grab the best bed. It’s just human nature. </p>
<p>If they’re a halfway decent person, they’ll only use their half of the room, but if they don’t, just politely talk to them about it. If they refuse, bring the RA in.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is possible for you, but since I’m moving in earlier, I just told my roommate who is from the area to come that day and put her stuff in so that we get equal space.</p>
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Is it? I arrived in my dorm before my roommate and gave my roommate the better bed. That being said, both beds were perfectly fine.</p>
<p>If your roommate takes up the entire room, all you need to do is contact the RA. However, these kinds of instances are few and far between.</p>
<p>Not all roommates would pick the better side. Their idea of the better bed could also be different from yours :)</p>
<p>I don’t know anybody who would be so discourteous to use your side of the room. Moving in can be a huge mess, but once you’re both settled in there shouldn’t be a problem. If there is, tell the RA like everyone else said.</p>
<p>LOL my roommate last year did this to me; she took the bottom bunk, closet with the mirror, and desk with more outlets. She didn’t ask me either, so it was kind of a slap in the face when I moved in.</p>
<p>Definitely try to talk to your roommate before he moves in and figure some of these things out (like who sleeps on top or bottom if your beds are bunked), because I don’t think it’s necessarily fair for him to be choosing all the better amenities when you both have to share the space for an entire school year.</p>
<p>So wont my roommate think bad of me though if I have to call in the RA after trying to talk to him? </p>
<p>and what do I say? like," hey man, your in my half of the room, could you please move your stuff?"</p>
<p>Send your roommate a message, try to get to know him. If there’s stuff you guys might want for your room, discuss it (tv, fridge, whatever). This is someone you’ll be living with; you don’t want to be competing. If you have a preference for bed / desk / whatever, let him know and ask him what he prefers. Compromise. I doubt he’d end up taking up the whole room, but it’s certainly less likely to occur if you get to know him a bit first.</p>
<p>I think it is reasonable to have concerns your roommate might not treat you well however I believe you should start with an expectation of being treated fairly … and then deal with unfair situations as they arise. </p>
<p>OP, I have a question for you … how would you feel if you knew your roommate was asking around about what they should do since you were arrving first and you might screw your roommate when you moved in? Would this seem fair to you or would you hope your rommmate arrived and saw your choices before commenting on your motives and choices?</p>
<p>Equal space you are entitled to, and your roommate will most likely give you that. They’ll get the better bed though, sorry. What do you expect them to do, either not move their stuff in or take the worse bed? Maybe your roommate will have a different perspective on what the better bed is, but I think that’s your only chance.</p>
<p>I moved in before my roommate. The beds were perfectly identical, and I gave her the better closet. When she got there I offered to reconfigure the furniture however she wanted-- I’d only unpacked because otherwise my crap would have been taking up too much space for her to move in. Most people don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with their roommate right out of the gate and won’t be horribly rude.</p>
<p>Harvard has a policy about this - you can’t pick anything until all people are present .</p>
<p>My middle daughter had/has a similar situation. Her roommate moved in (from much further away) much earlier. Because we were an hour away, we offered to bring the fridge that day. Along with the fridge, we brought her food and drinks to put in the fridge. We also set up my daughter’s bed & room that day, so the roommate didn’t have to look at a yucky mattress. When my daughter moved in, I had my first day of school, and couldn’t go along. So, her dad dropped her off with her clothes and that was it! The reality was/is this situation worked out for the better!</p>
<p>They got along well. They are very different people and don’t hang out that much, but basic kindness goes a long way. They will room together again this year and we will start the school year again the same way.</p>
<p>My roommate too - 4 days before me. However, the architects for the building were smart and made both sides of the room equal.</p>
<p>I may get to move in the night before normal move in time because I’m 500 miles away, and they have some special stuff for housing things for people that are 400something miles or more away. An admissions counselor mentioned this to me a while ago that I could maybe do that, but I haven’t asked or gotten full permission yet; I’m going to wait until I get my housing assignment in a couple weeks and then ask the housing office. </p>
<p>My parents want to drive the day before, and start bringing stuff in the night before so it’s not so crazy in the morning and they actually have to leave pretty soon the day for move in stuff. They have to be home by a certain time for something my dad has, don’t remember what…it happens based on schedule stuff that one roommate gets in first. </p>
<p>Just hope you get a nice roommate that doesn’t make it horrible for you.</p>
<p>I would think most wouldn’t want to get off to a bad start right away. Even if I get to move in first, I certainly don’t want to do something that would make me get in an argument with my roommate right away.</p>
<p>When I get my housing assignment and roommate name and contact info in the next few weeks, I’m planning on talking to her and us deciding how to arrange the room ahead of time, and then if I do get in first, then I’ll know how we want to arrange the room if we agree on it ahead of time. We can draw the room out on paper, email the picture back and forth, etc. and arrange the room via email & phone, hopefully.</p>
<p>I’m moving in the night before my roommate (I’m pretty sure, unless she requested early move-in too). Once I find out who she is, I had planned to ask her for her # and ask if she wanted me to text her if I have any concerns about preferences. You could suggest that over email, like hey man, if you have any questions or whatever as you move in, this is my #. Let me know if you need anything!</p>
<p>With that said, I would probably take the side I liked better but in most of the dorms I’ve seen, it’s all pretty much the same. If my roommate reeeeeally wanted to switch i’d consider though.</p>
<p>Yeah, dorm stuff usually tends to be pretty equal. If you can agree how to arrange the room and who has top/bottom bunk, that’s probably about it. I guess it depends on the college, there may be some where 1 bed, 1 dresser, 1 desk, 1 etc. is good and the other set is bad, but I wouldn’t think it’d be that bad.</p>
<p>I moved in earlier then my roommate, and we had discussed beds and closets beforehand. I picked which bed I wanted and she picked the closet, it wound up working out fine. (I just really didn’t want to sleep near the window and she didn’t mind.)</p>
<p>Whatever happens, don’t let your roommate be the “one in charge”. I actually moved in to my room way earlier than my roommate and chose the better bed, side, etc. When he finally came in, he complained and asked to have the stuff I claimed. I was a passive person back then and didn’t want to argue so I obliged. Pretty bad mistake, as I had somewhat of a disconcerting room experience for the rest of the year (not just the bed part, but that’s a whole different story.)</p>
<p>Learn to assert yourself. There’s a fine line between being a ****** and looking out for yourself. I’d recommend trying to make it as equal as possible but if it’s being too favored on his side, call for an RA.</p>
<p>Unless your room has bunk-beds, it’s hard to imagine one bed being better than the other (or at least there being a significant difference between the two). Same goes with closets, desks, etc. And even if there are bunk-beds, there’s pros and cons to both the top and bottom bunks so it isn’t that big of a deal.</p>