At my college i share a room with this guy (it’s not suite style, he sleeps five feet away from me and has his desk like 8 feet away from my bed). The problem is he plays League of Legends and World of Warcraft practically all day. He’ll be staying up until like 2 am playing his video games and then wake up at 10 am and then immediately get back to gaming. My issue with it is that all of his rapid typing and clicking and the flashing lights that come from his screen wake me up and prevent me form going to sleep. I’ve asked him to stop and if he could lower brightness/keep it down and he said maybe, which could possibly be the worst answer ever. Every other time I ask him he either sighs or ignores me. He games all day and chugs Mountain Dew… I’ve asked my RA what I can do and she said she’s super busy and will get back to me ASAP. It’s been a month. Any advice?
Maybe see if mentioning the fact that it’s preventing you from sleeping will get him to quit? If you can talk to him while he’s not gaming, he might be more open to listening. Be really firm and say something like, “Listen, we need to talk. You’re preventing me from getting the sleep I need to do well in my classes.”
You could ask the RA if she can have a meeting with you guys and try to work it out. I had a roommate who wouldn’t be reasonable freshman year, so I know how tough it can be. She refused to have a meeting with me and the RA so I went to a higher up school official (I think it was a woman who was in charge of room changes, but I can’t quite remember.)
Like PP said, ear plugs and a sleep mask. If worse comes to worse, could you maybe find some way to rearrange the furniture so his screen isn’t facing you?
All of the above. Earplugs and a sleep mask (we sent our daughter with those just in case) are cheap, they might have them in your bookstore, but if not, Amazon could get you those items in a day or two or you can likely find them in a nearby drugstore. Also, don’t take “I’m too busy” as an excuse from your RA. Helping with these kinds of issues is his/her job. If you can’t talk to that RA, try another in your building or your RA’s supervisor.
“Dude, Right now I can’t go to sleep at nights because of the keyboard noise. It is affecting my schoolwork. I need you to stop using the computer to play WoW in the room after 11:00pm (or whatever the quiet hours for your dorm is) and not start before X:00. If you need to keep playing during those times, go to the lounge.”
Try that first…your RA will probably ask you if you have talked to him about the issue. You need to do it, and do it in a straightfoward way that is not mean but not optional.
See if that works. At 11:00 (or whatever), say to him if he doesn’t seem to be stopping “You have to take that to the lounge now.”
If not, the next day, go to the RA and if s/he blows you off ask them what the next step in escalation is if they can’t help you today.
Okay, so I have confronted my roommate about it and he straight couldnt care less. I finally got the RA to come in and do a roommate mediation, but honestly there’s no way he’s going to change. It’s been two nights and he’s still the same. Just thinking about him brings me so much anger and escalates my heart rate… I think rooming with him is causing some serious health problems for me (or will soon). My RA said we have to “work it out” and get used to living with each other, but honestly even if we were to somehow magically work it out I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at him without feeling rage. My RA won’t let me switch rooms (even though I know there are other spaces available). What should I do? Tough it out until next year and be miserable/constantly mad? Is there a way I can go around my RA and switch rooms? At my school I’m supposed to talk to her in order to arrange a room transfer so idk. Also, I’m going to go see a therapist to see if they can help me out and convince the Resident Life at my school to let me transfer. Thanks again.
Start waking up the RA to mediate in the middle of the night. He should have made you guys write up a roommate agreement. I think requesting quiet from 00 to 0600 is reasonable. That counts for you too.
Look on the Office of Residential Life site and figure out who your RA’s boss is. Make an appointment and request a room change.
Also you said you “confronted” your roommate. If that’s what you really did it’s a sure way to have the roommate defensive and reactive and not give in to your demand. It’s better to be non confrontational.
Ear plugs and sleep masks are good but some schools pull fire drills and you get in trouble for missing them.
Take it to the next level. Also find out what the official procedure is to request a room change. Residence life must have this information. If necessary, get your parents involved.
That’s the problem these days. This person’s roommate is clearly being inconsiderate and everyone is telling the affected person to adjust THEIR behavior? Wrong.
Go around the RA. Go to the head of Residence Life. Do whatever you have to do. Either make them reassign your roommate or get yourself out of that situation. You didn’t work to get to this point in your life to have someone with no common courtesy ruin it for you.
I hope it gets fixed for you. You don’t deserve to be miserable.
Semester’s almost over. RA isn’t helping. Roommate doesn’t care. At some point you just have to survive until winter break. Congrats, you got a bad roommate. I had a truly awful one last year too. Mindless “rage” isn’t going to do anything, and neither will fighting with someone who doesn’t give a crap about you or your convenience.
At my school there are two weeks (plus finals) left in the semester. Really? Moving out? What rooms are available with so little time left? Who wants a NEW roommate (who may or may not be better) with so little time left??
So I would stick it out until winter break. Form a plan of approach while you’re gone. Come back intending to fix the problem.
ETA: I know you might have a bit longer left in your semester, but likely not by much.
I’d be so mad I’d declare war! Loud alarm set for all times when roomie was sleeping, heck , maybe that mountain dew could accidentally spill on this guy’s keyboard?
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In all seriousness, escalate this to the next level. Your RA is a bad RA. Just tell her you’re going to have to go above her head because she hasn’t made any effort to help you. She’ll probably help you real quick then.
Screw the “earplugs and eye-mask.” Why should the OP have to do that? Why does the room belong more to the roommate then the OP? Why can’t the roommate move out of the room after 11? I would 100% – no question about it - go way above the RA…I would pull in parents (tuition-payers) if possible…I would go full postal on this one. Make people feel uncomfortable and demand change. You’re living with a passive-aggressive, hostile dictator…you have no choice.
