Living with housemates can be a profound experience. Profound is such a great way to describe this because it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s bad (or good). You could have some of the best housemates ever, where coming home feels like… well, coming home, and you feel excited and relieved about it. Or you could be on the complete other end of the spectrum, with some of the most deplorable housemates to ever insult the earth, and coming home feels like going to jail. I’ve had my fair share of weird housemates, but along the way some people have entered my life that made me think, ‘Huh. I like living with these people.’ Hopefully, you’ll experience the latter more than the former.
Now, without further ado, let us dive into the types of housemates you’ll (probably) encounter in university, straight from a reputable source.
1. Your best (house)mate
Living with your best friends isn’t necessarily a good idea, because what may work for you socially might not work for you privately. Nevertheless, if you make an effort, and if you live in a house that encourages making an effort, you’re bound to gravitate towards a person that you vibe the most with. This is your new best (house)mate.
It’s like a work spouse, just less weird. You’ve got your own friends that you see when you’re not at home, and then you’ve got that one person that you’re always down to have a chat with or make dinner with at home. Having someone like this makes staying at home a lot more fun – plus, it makes you feel as though you have an ally in your house.
2. The neat freak
Every house needs one of these, but usually one is enough. After all, most people take care of themselves to a good extent, but sometimes you’ll meet people that go the extra mile and berate you endlessly for leaving a single dirty spoon in the sink. ‘Oh, but we have to keep the house spotless!’ Shut up, Robin. This is why no one likes you.
Jokes aside, just be ready for anything, honestly. Sure, neat freaks are clean, and they do a lot of work around the house, but it’s almost not worth having them just for the barrage of passive-aggressive texts in your group chats that somehow always end with a list of who is cleaning what.
No, who am I kidding, these people are always a better alternative than their counterparts.
3. The slob
The exploits they perform around the house are almost art-like, in the sense that it leaves you wondering about how on Earth people like this exist. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been guilty of hoarding dirty plates in my room, or forgetting to take out the trash, or not vacuuming until the last minute. But there’s a difference between being messy and slightly dirty to being an outright slob.
These guys have an astounding amount of creativity when it comes to using their free will. Once, in an old house, we had maggots crawling around the spice rack because the resident slob would always wet the areas surrounding the sink and not clean up. Don’t even get me started on their rooms – you’ll probably need hazmat suits to just step in there.
4. The night owl
I’ve done my fair share of night-owling and pulled some all-nighters, but I wouldn’t consider myself an actual night owl. I mean, my bedtime is at 12.00 sharp, guys, and I imagine most functional people sleep before the next day starts as well. However, when I step out of my room in the wee hours of the morning (around 2-3 A.M.) and find my housemate with dark bags under their eyes and a single piece of bread on the counter with no condiments around, you start to question things.
Look, nothing wrong with being a night owl, but I find it odd that you’re basically invisible during the day and the only time I’ve met you is at 2 A.M and you’re zooted out of your mind.
5. The thief
I’ll admit, I’ve been the thief more times than I want to admit, but come on – are you really going to fault me for stealing a tiny bit of soy sauce when it’s going to take much longer to go to the store? I do not condone stealing, but if it’s little things like oil and spices, then please be my guest. I personally don’t mind because I know I do it, and I know everyone else in my house steals my spices, so it evens out. But if you don’t like going into the kitchen and seeing your sesame oil vanish by the day, then I recommend storing your things in your room.
6. The Gordon Ramsay
As far as housemates go, this one is probably one of the best ones. Just the fact that they cook amazing food is great, and any extra quirks they have is a plus (or a minus, but that doesn’t detract from their amazing cooking). These housemates are especially valuable if you live in a house that cooks for each other at least two or three times a week, because then the schedule rotates quickly and you get to eat delicious food about twice a month.
7. The Normal One
What even is the normal housemate at this point? Everyone has their quirks, their gags, and their own specialties. I would say that the normal housemate is someone who likes hanging out, likes to chat when they see other housemates, but also likes their personal space, and so doesn’t leave their room unless needed. They’re probably medium-messy, not dirty or disgusting; they clean up the kitchen and do their dishes on time when they have to; and they shower for around 10 to 15 minutes. You know, just normal people stuff. Turns out not everyone needs their quirks.
8. The Invisible One
These people are different from night owls in that you’ve never really been sure about whether these guys exist in the first place. You’re sure that they’re registered to your place in the government, but you’re also pretty damn sure that you’ve never seen them or heard them in their room – ever. You start to wonder if they only rent the room just so they can have a place to register themselves, but are living elsewhere.
Normally, I’d mind my own business, but if I got told that I had an extra housemate that I never knew about, I’d be pretty curious myself.
9. The Social Butterfly
These guys always seem to know everyone on campus. As a result, they always seem to invite what seems like a hundred different people home – your home, and while it’s fine occasionally, it starts to get old after the third time in a month.
I won’t deny that social butterflies, especially if you’re living with one, are great for connections and networking. You get to meet new people and try out different things, or go to different events. However, I also like my quiet time and my own house time, so forgive me when I say that once a week is a bit much when I want to enjoy the weekend (and the house) all that I can allow myself.
10. The boy/girl/whatever-friend (please just go home)
They’re definitely not housemates, but with how they’re using my electricity, and my water, and my WiFi that I pay for, they may as well be. I have no issue with having your significant other over, even for more than a few days, because it’s fun and you want to be around them more, right? It can also be fun for me and by the end of it I’ll have made a new friend. But oh man, if you’re here 24/7 and it doesn’t seem as though you’re leaving any time soon, you better cough up those Euros because water ain’t cheap. I don’t care if your house is dirty or that you don’t like your housemates – you’ve been saying that for the past month that you’ve been here, and at some point you really just have to go home. Especially if you live in the same city.
You meet a lot of interesting people in university. You might even get to live with some of them. This list, of course, is all in good fun, and if you’ve ever lived with a bunch of housemates, then you know that most people you come across are chill, normal people who keep to themselves most of the time. Except for my housemate’s significant other. I’m really not joking – please just go home. You don’t even live far away.
