15 Awkward College Roommate Stories That Will Make You Cringe

Having a roommate, especially in college, can be tough, but we all have to do it.

If you’re lucky, you might hit it off and get along great. The good thing is that there are steps you can take to try to avoid some awkward situations.

Like, if you’ve never met them before, you can reach out before school starts to get to know them better.

It’s also a good idea to try to set some rules and guidelines once you meet.

You can discuss a cleaning schedule, talk about potential overnight guests, and take the time to bond since you’ll be sharing a space with them for an entire year!

Unfortunately, you can take all the precautions in the world and still end up not liking your roommate. They might be straight-up awful. Maybe they talk on the phone late at night when you’re trying to sleep or they borrow your things without permission. But based on the stories we’ve seen on the internet, trust us, it can get way worse.

Like run for the hills, don’t look back, and move out ASAP status.

These are the most awkward, cringe-worthy college roommate stories out there.

1. The roommate who doesn’t want to share.

When it comes to shared living spaces, it can be easier to buy groceries together and split the cost.

It can get a little dicey, especially if one roommate ends up eating more than their fair share. One Reddit user shared a story of a roommate who went rogue on their grocery sharing plan and kept his food in his room. The plan backfired. He may have hidden his food from his other roommates, but he couldn’t hide them from a hoard of ants.

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2. The late-night gamer.

There’s nothing wrong with playing video games, but timing is everything.

We totally get it, gaming can be fun. It can be a great way to blow off steam in between classes or late at night. The issue is when you a little too into the game and start yelling. Even worse when you’re living in a suite with five other people. That’s just plain rude.

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3. The roommate who doesn’t shower.

We can’t emphasize enough how important proper hygiene is.

There is nothing fun about not being able to escape horrible body odor in a small space. Maybe your schedule is a little busy, who knows, but even a small courtesy swipe of deodorant does wonders. Not only does it help you, but makes everyone else around you happy too. Borrowing someone’s underwear is a totally different story, though.

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4. The roommate who hoards garbage.

In a college dorm, trash can build up really fast.

Whether you have one roommate or six, a regular garbage take-out is necessary. Small room, large room it doesn’t matter. Otherwise, it can get nasty. Too bad this roommate didn’t get the memo. If you thought one bag of garbage was gross, imagine four. Our heart goes out to you Reddit user Olive15.

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5. The roommate who thinks being considerate is “toxic.”

It’s important to set boundaries with your roommates.

Cleaning up after yourself might seem like a universal must for anyone who has a roommate, yet there are some people, who will avoid it at all costs. According to one Reddit user, a roommate claimed that cleaning up and pitching in were out of her comfort zone and made the living space a “toxic environment.”

Uhhhh, not sure when human decency became fighting behavior, but to each their own.

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6. The roommate who drinks too much.

If you go to college, you’re bound to stumble into a few parties.

Even if you don’t drink alcohol, there are certainly people who do. Some might even take it a little too far. One Reddit user commented about one roommate who would drink a lot, indulge in a drunken snack, and not clean up after on top of throwing up everywhere. There are a few red flags in that story.

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7. The unwanted third roommate.

So you roommate has a significant other, no big deal, right?

That’s not always the case. It’s all too common to have a roommate who has their significant other over one too many nights. Some to the point where you wonder whether or not they should pay rent. Not only does this Reddit user share their unwanted third roommate story, but the boyfriend would also chew tobacco, spit it out, and leave the remnants all over the room.

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8. The roommate who wants a pet but won’t take care of it.

Having a pet can be so rewarding but comes with a lot of responsibility.

Cats are great! They can be super affectionate and sweet, but also independent. One Reddit user posted a story about how one roommate brought in an outdoor cat into a home that already had two indoor cats. If that doesn’t sound like a disaster already, the roommate didn’t clean the litter box and the cat started using the Reddit user’s closet as a bathroom instead.

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9. The roommate who doesn’t want you in the room.

It’s fine to want a little alone time, especially when you’re sharing a room with someone.

However, some roommates might not want you in there at all. According to one Reddit user, this was exactly the case for one poor roommate and she was asked to leave whenever company came over. Luckily, there were extra housing spots available and the unfriendly roommate was relocated after a complaint was filed.

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10. The roommate that won’t pick up their food.

Cleaning can be a major issue between college roommates.

Some roommates might genuinely forget to clean up while others feel like it’s not their responsibility. One Reddit user shared the story of how their roommate left food out for months to the point where mold started growing. On top of that, the roommate also left a mess in the freezer for months.

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11. The roommate with too many alarms.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to wake up on time.

In fact, I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of setting an extra alarm or two or even hitting snooze one too many times. According to one Reddit user, a roommate took waking up to the next level with six alarm clocks. We’re not talking setting alarms on his phone, but actual alarm clocks scattered all over the room. To make matters even worse, he would snooze every single one.

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12. The roommate who has to control everything.

There’s nothing wrong with taking the initiative to try to make your college room feel more like home.

But communication is everything and there are other roommates to be considerate of. One roommate took it a little too far to the point where she “ruled all,” according to one Reddit user. Whether it was the space in the fridge or the temperature of the room, the roommate would freak out when anything changed. Now, that sounds like a stressful environment for everyone.

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13. The quiet roommate who’s okay…you guess.

Even if you fill out a college dorm survey, your first roommate might not work out.

According to one Reddit user, their first college roommate was fine as a person but terrible as a roommate. She was quiet but almost too quiet. To tip the scale to bad roommate territory, the roommate was also quite the slob to the point where there was a terrible smell and mold in the room.

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14. The roommate who doesn’t know how to clean dishes.

Maybe get a dishwasher? Or better yet, a new roommate.

Cleaning dirty dishes is pretty self-explanatory. But one Reddit user posted about how one roommate would scratch at dried food on dishes rather than using a tried and true method of water + dirty dish + soap = clean dishes. We don’t know if she didn’t know how or simply didn’t want to clean. All we know is that according to one Reddit user, dirty dishes stayed dirty.

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15. The roommate with multiple offenses.

Nobody’s perfect, but this roommate took it too far.

Maybe your roommate is messy, maybe your roommate has their significant other over too much. One Reddit user’s roommate was guilty of both of those things, and so much more. The cringey-est offense? It has to be shaving her boyfriend’s back in a shared room. Even over crying over not knowing how to do her own laundry.

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What was your college roommate like? Let us know if you have a story that can top any of these!