Learning to let the little things go

How to make your residence hall experience more pleasant

Don't let the little things ruin the college living experience
Don’t let the little things ruin the college living experience Photo by Katie Tobak
If your residence hall WiFi is working, you can Google “How to deal with an annoying roommate” all day long. You might even come across the same old, “Talk to them about your problems” solution.
This is decent advice. The last thing you want is to sit in your corner and stew about the toothpaste stains all over the sink. But what these advice columns fail to relay is that sometimes you should just shut up.
I am not suggesting that when there is a serious problem in your living situation that you shouldn’t bring it up to improve your quality of life. But some people have this idea that they need to bring up every issue.
They are the people who confront you for the empty soda can, snoring or playing music that they don’t like. These people are trouble.
Yes, having a roommate or roommates can be difficult. When friends tell me about their roommate’s weird and annoying habits, I truly empathize. But sometimes you just need to suck it up. Is crying every time your roommate doesn’t replace the toilet paper roll really worth it? I don’t think so.
The thing is, the people who are constantly complaining about every detail have annoying habits too. We all do. As a species, we have a hard time being critical of ourselves.
So my advice is simple: bring up the big stuff to your roommate so you can live a decently comfortable life and let the little things go. I guarantee you will enjoy your residence hall experience just a little bit more.