Living on campus, you’ll find inspiration, relaxation, fun, and friends—all in an energizing and supportive atmosphere. You’ll find what it takes to round out your studio explorations and make your RISD experience everything it was meant to be.
The Residence Life Program at RISD provides a safe and supportive environment empowering students to create inclusive communities that foster their artistic and personal development.
To make your experience a great one, we have some tips that will help navigate you through your first year of housing.
Tips From Your Peers
- Be honest. Answer all profile questions as accurately as possible.
- A lot of times incoming first year students answer profile questions based on what they think their roommates will want to hear. Students should be themselves and be honest about their living habits. This will help them find a roommate that will have similar living habits.
- Friends don’t always make the best roommates
- Spending time with friends is a great thing, but living with this is very different. It may seem comforting, easy, and the best option but in reality this can get complicated.
- A good roommate is someone who has the same living habits as you (goes to bed at the same time, clean vs. messy) not someone who likes the same movies and music.
- Discuss important things before deciding to live together
- Think about your non-negotiables and be sure to share them with your potential roommate.
- Ask your roommate about their non-negotiables
- Be open to compromise
- There will always be somethings that you and your roommate will disagree on. Be willing to compromise. If you want to talk to your family and friends on the phone often, talk to your roommate about what time of the day would be best for these conversations.
See Topics to Discuss for some conversation ideas.