For many students, university life does not only consist of 07:30 lectures and endless assignments. It also comes with the experience of communal living. Sharing spaces such as bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and even study areas is challenging at best. The key lies in setting firm boundaries and having practical strategies to make your daily life smoother.
Roommates
Roommates are most likely your first introduction to communal life. They can either become your closest friends or they will just be people you share a space with. Either way, sharing a room with anyone requires patience and compromise.
Tips:
- Make your expectations of each other, such as quiet times and chores, clear from the get-go.
- Communicate with each other to avoid misunderstandings. Bottling things up can harbour resentment, which is good for no one.
- Maximise the use of your headphones. There is no need to be scrolling on TikTok at full volume while your roommate is studying or trying to sleep.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms may be the most annoying part of living in communes. They are often too busy, and not everyone treats cleanliness as a collective responsibility.
Tips:
- Limit your time in the shower. An hour-long shower may sound like heaven to you, but it is probably hell for the people waiting for their turn.
- Wear flip flops when you are in the shower to avoid a possible foot infection.
- Do not leave the toilet stall until you have ensured that all your excrements have been flushed away.
Kitchens
Kitchens are central to daily life, but issues such as limited fridge space, cleaning duties, and your boerewors growing legs can become a point of contention.
Tips:
- Clearly label your food.
- Cook your food in larger batches. It is more convenient to cook for the next two or three days than to cook every day.
- Clean up after cooking by washing your dishes in the communal sinks and wiping down the surfaces. This ensures that the kitchen does not accumulate a bad smell and remains usable for the next person.
Laundry Rooms
Laundry facilities are in high demand, but unfortunately, there are limited amounts of washing machines and dryers. Machines can be occupied for long stretches of time, and clothes can be mixed up or stolen.
Tips:
- Choose less busy times to do your laundry. Early mornings on weekdays are often the best times.
- If your wash cycle is 40 minutes, set a timer for 40 minutes so you can keep track of time and fetch your clothes promptly to avoid inconveniencing others.
Study Areas
Study areas are designed for focus, but they often get treated as social spaces. As a result, an attempt at studying can turn into an unproductive session filled with distractions and noise.
Tips:
- Sit in corners or the part of the study area that has less foot traffic.
- Wi-Fi is sometimes weaker in a study area, so download whatever material you will need for your study session to avoid being frustrated by a slow internet connection.
- People are not as mean as you would expect, so politely asking a group of people being noisy in a study area to keep quiet often (hopefully) does the trick.
Communal living requires adaptability, patience, and consideration. But above all, communes teach you the value of co-operation. University can be an isolating experience for some, so living in an environment where you are surrounded by your peers means you will always have someone to talk to, to study with, or to lean on when things get tough. You might make friends during orientation week, but you never know who you will meet when you burn your scrambled eggs one too many times.
Visual: Esther Ndebele
