How to Get Time Alone When You Have a College Roommate

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Assess whether or not you're also in the room too much.

   It's not fair of you to try to get your roommate to leave when you won't.
   
   Do you regularly attend a club or two? Have you done community service on the weekends? Do you give them time to enjoy the room on their own? A good way to gauge if you spend too much time in the room is to ask others if they think that you do.
2. 2

   Step 2: Take note of his or her schedule.

   Is there a period of time where your roommate is in class, but you aren't? Do they have to attend fraternity/sorority meetings? If you know when you can expect your roommate to leave, you can plan on having alone time., If you believe that you aren't being unfair and can't find a time when you're guaranteed to be alone, try politely asking if you could have an hour or two alone.
   
   This shouldn't be too hard.
   
   Simply text or ask your roommate, "Hey (roomie's name), could I have an hour to myself tonight? I feel like I need to be alone." Offering them a time period when you'll leave so they can be alone is a good idea to get them onboard.
   
   If they ask you why you need alone time, just calmly state that you feel stressed and need some private time to vent. , If they decline, and you absolutely need alone time, wait until they go home for the weekend.
   
   When your roommate goes home, you can usually tell by them packing anything they'd need for a weekend and leaving without returning for a long period of time (i.e. a couple of hours).
   
   If this happens, you'll have a couple of days to yourself! This method requires patience.
   
   Sometimes, they could stay up at school for months on end.
   
   If you need alone time ASAP, keep reading. , As they're leaving class, or class is ending, text them, "Great, some idiot burnt their popcorn and we all had to evacuate".
   
   Your roommate might want to avoid standing outside the building doing nothing, so he or she may head to the dining hall or elsewhere.
   
   This method is risky, as your roommate may come back anyway and find out that you lied to them. , If you bring a couple of friends into the room and start hanging out, your roommate might feel the need to allow you guys some privacy.
   
   Alternatively, you could ask them in front of your friends, "Hey, we need to talk about schoolwork, so could we have a little privacy?" While this isn't true "alone time"
   
   as you'll be with friends, this trick will at least get your roommate to leave, should it work. , Let's say you have class in the morning, while your roommate, Kyle/Kelly, has class in the afternoon.
   
   You could try arranging it so that from 11-2, you have time where you can be alone, and Kyle/Kelly can have his/her alone time from 2-5.
   
   This way, you both have the same amount of alone time set aside.
   
   You should allow your roommate in to grab stuff they need, but don't let them linger, should they have to enter the room during your alone time. , While this is a last resort and the option you should only turn to when the above steps have failed, it might work.
   
   Your RA can mediate the discussion between you and your roommate and help you both air your concerns without starting a massive argument.
   
   You should notify the RA if your roommate threatens you at any point.
3. 3

   Step 3: Ask politely for some schedule alone time.

4. 4

   Step 4: Be patient until they take trips away.

5. 5

   Step 5: Try the "fire alarm" trick.

6. 6

   Step 6: A third trick is bringing friends to the dorm.

7. 7

   Step 7: Try negotiating daily time slots when both of you can be alone.

8. 8

   Step 8: Speak with your RA

9. 9

   Step 9: as a final resort.

Detailed Guide

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