Sharing student accommodation for the first time and anxious to make a good impression on your new housemates? The veterans at oxygen.ie are here to lend a hand. We searched far and wide, surveying the best and brightest on the student scene, and narrowed it down to 5 things that are sure to make you everyone’s favourite roomie.
Various Complex Cooking Items
No better way to convince the people you live with that you’re a talented and accomplished chef. Options include apple corer, pestle and mortar, meat tenderiser, authentic toque blanche etc. Dave from Athlone will be so intimidated by your perceived skills that you’ll have full control of the shared kitchen as he retreats to his room to Google ‘how to heat beans’. In two months you’ll come downstairs to find him growing a Hatch-Your-Own-Dinosaur-Egg in your Nutribullet (speaking, unfortunately, from personal experience) but we won’t ever say you didn’t try.
Scented Candles
Use them to drown out the wafts of your roommate’s colossal Guinness farts or for cooking over when tip number 1 inevitably doesn’t work and all 14 of your housemates are using the kitchen at the same time.
Tote Bags
Use them and reuse them! Do the environment a favour! Fill them to the brim with your Lidl falafel! Bonus points if they come covered with vaguely political phrases: that third year with the curtain bangs and the Eat the Rich shirt will be so impressed.
An Ironic Cardboard Cutout
This is an absolute must have if you want to make an entrance. What could be more welcoming than a life-size Shrek perched on the stairs or a Danny Devito emerging from your bathtub? Your housemates will love the way it improves the feng shui- they’re bound to think you’re cool and funny in a subtle, nonchalant way. Better yet, don’t tell them you’re bringing it along. Just leave it hanging out of one of their bedroom cupboards as a nice surprise after a night out.
The Poetry Essay You Wrote for the Leaving Cert
The best way to bond with your housemates is to reminisce about shared experiences. And so, if you’re ever stuck for small talk and things are getting awkward fast, simply pull the crumpled sheet from its home in your back pocket and fire away. “So…uh… Keats really does present abstract ideas in a style that is clear and direct, don’t you think?” They say that friendships formed during Freshers Week are built to last, so be sure to flaunt your knowledge as soon as possible.
So there you have it. Some advice from the wise old sages who have gone once through the system and wouldn’t repeat it for any amount of money. Godspeed to you all and remember: they’re just as scared of you as you are of them.
Read our Alternative Freshers Event Guide here:
https://www.oxygen.ie/alternative-freshers-events/