ZOE ROGERS / OPINION EDITOR

I’ve heard countless conversations — from both my friends and strangers throughout campus — about how   annoyed  they  are with their roommates and  the mess in the kitchen. While roommates can be a great addition to your living situation, the positives may not always outweigh the negatives. The presence of a kitchen has the ability to ruin your roommate experience. 

Now is the time of year when people start looking for potential roommates for the next academic year. Having roommates has been one of my favorite parts of my college experience. Even now, I’m living in a space with my three closest friends, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Having roommates comes with many luxuries, such as always having people to talk to, never feeling alone in the dorm or apartment and having someone to count on. But, living with roommates can come with difficulties that can significantly impact your roommate relationship. 

Everyone has different living habits. Some people don’t mind the room being a little cluttered or messy, while others need everything to be put away after it has been used. Because everyone has their own different personality and preferences around how to live their daily lives, conflict can arise between roommates — especially  when  one  person  feels   like  the  other is not abiding by their living preferences.  

It’s easy to be angry with your roommates when they don’t pick up after themselves or do the assigned tasks you had discussed at the beginning of the year. For example, my roommates and I discussed how we would go  about taking out the trash, wiping the counter and more. When your roommates don’t follow through on those tasks as promised, feeling angry is an initial response many people take in this situation. Blame and resentment are natural emotions when your once clean sink is now stacked with dirty dishes that are left for you to clean up. 

This whole issue can be avoided if you and your roommates just communicate about it. My roommates and I addressed that we had an issue with taking out the trash — certain people would end up taking it out more than others, and it was becoming difficult to gauge who would be next to take on the responsibility. So, my roommate made a chart with our names on it. We have the chart hanging  on the fridge, pinned up by a magnet on the name of the person whose job it is to take out the trash next. When that person does their duties, they move the magnet to the next person. This is just one example of techniques that you can use to deal with any uncertainty  around  whose job it is to do what, and when to do it. 

While it’s easy to say that having a kitchen with your roommates has the potential to negatively impact  you and your roommates’ relationships, it also has the chance to greatly impact it. Sharing a kitchen leads to spending more quality time with your roommates, allows  you  to  do  things  together   like  cook or  bake and gives you time to converse around the dining table together. Even though having a kitchen does require responsibilities, it doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. As long as roommates communicate effectively, then having a kitchen  shouldn’t be a problem. 

The kitchen can be a gamechanger in your living experience. Personally, I did not have a kitchen my first year of college. I  was living in Founders and relied on microwavable meals and the occasional run to the shared kitchen  to  make scrambled eggs. Now, living in an on-campus apartment, I absolutely love having a kitchen in my vicinity. 

Having a kitchen in a dorm or apartment makes the chaos of deciding what to eat so much easier. I can make grocery runs, store the food in the fridge and make my own meals at my leisure. I find myself spending a lot of my time in the kitchen, whether it’s through making my own food or washing the dishes. 

While having your own kitchen can be nice, sharing a kitchen with one to three other people can be a  difficult challenge. LifeHacker, a website that  provides  tips and tricks for different aspects of life, provided insight on the dynamics  of  having  roommates and sharing a kitchen. 

“Kitchens feed resentment and bitterness just as easily as they produce joy and, unless you and your roommates communicate directly, you’re in for a very bad time,” LifeHack stated. 

Having a  kitchen  can be one of  the  best  parts  of  your college experience. It allows you to have a sense of independence. However, incorporating a kitchen into  your roommate experience  can also instigate   negative emotions toward one another, and even cost you your friendships. 

Kitchens require responsibilities that many roommates may not agree upon. Issues like when to take out the trash, if leaving dirty dishes in the sink is okay or if it’s fine to leave a dirty pan on the stove  when you’re running late can all cause a disconnect. If you and your roommates don’t communicate effectively about the different roles and responsibilities you have in regards to the kitchen, you and your roommates’ relationships can be at risk, and you may end up one dirty dish away from losing a friendship. 

Having dirty dishes can cause conflict for many roommates. Photo courtesy of @Portugues Gravity/Unsplash

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.