I'm totally not enjoying my roommate, and I don't know what to do about it.

She's EXTREMELY critical. When we're out doing something, I can stand her because she's critical of other things, but when we're just chilling out in our room, she drives me insane because she's so critical of me.

I'm typing on my laptop:
"You should put a book under the back so your wrists don't get hurt."
"You shouldn't have got a compaq, HP and blahblah are far superior."
"You shouldn't close your moniter without covering the keys, it will hurt the screen."

I'm unpacking my groceries:
Me: "I wish the pears were soft so I could have one.
Her: "Oh, well, they're supposed to be hard and you're supposed to leave them at room temperature to mellow."
"Don't put potatoes in the refrigerator" (as if I don't know how to store potatoes and am randomly going to put them there?)
"You shouldn't have bought cheerios, they contain blahblahblah which makes babies grow fins."


These aren't huge things or anything, but she will go on and on and on about every little thing that I do. I scratch my eye, she says I shouldn't because it will make it worse... As if I've never had an itchy eye before or something? She acts like she is SO smart and that I know nothing and have never done anything in my life... And she talks CONSTANTLY, and after a while when I don't respond, she starts randomly talking out loud to herself, and she randomly speaks in different languages. I swear, she is never quiet. Never wants to hear about me, or my day, or anything remotely not directly related to her.

Last night, I was trying to study, she had a friend over and watched a movie until 12:30... Friend went home, she went to bed, and was complaining about me having a light on. I DO go to bed later than her, but I don't have a big light on or anything!

And when I try to sleep, if she's not asleep, she'll try to engage me in some lame political conversation which is basically her spewing her views at me and expecting me to agree with her.... Mind you, we have completely different views.

How can I talk to her about all this?! I don't want to say "Can you please shut up", and even if I did, she probably wouldn't listen...

Just be mature and basically tell her what you said here, that you don't appreciate her constant criticism and that she needs to be respectful of your space and time.

There's always going to be inconsiderate people, you just have to be assertive and lay out your own fair demands for her as a roommate.

Have you spoken to your CA yet?

Honestly, having a roommate really is a huge change and some have much more difficulty than others. I'd call her out on it. Don't yell or be rude about it though. Just be like "hey, I really do appreciate all of your input but I feel like you're constantly criticizing me" and then go from there. Be careful with your tone though. Also, when people have political conversations I usually just nod my head and agree even though I'm totally against everything they say. You have 7 months left and then you're free.

If she doesn't respond to your overture, I'd pick a few of the tamer ones from http://www.roommatetricks.co m/ ...if she flips out then you now have something to be critical of about her...her lack of a sense of humour.

be upfront, say all this to her and tell her whatever problem you have with her behavior

atleast my roommate is very understanding

As mentioned the best course of action is usually to talk directly to a person first if you have a problem with them but if I'm being honest the way this roommate is described it doesn't sound like they'd care. Attempt to talk to her but I suspect she won't really care (she sounds really rude), if she cared about other people's feelings to begin with she wouldn't be such an ass. If she doesn't listen and continues to annoy and quite frankly harass you talk to your CA about her behaviour.

Say something. To her, to your CA, to whomever; because if you don't, the situation can't be rectified.

Originally Posted by MDCL

If she doesn't respond to your overture, I'd pick a few of the tamer ones from http://www.roommatetricks.co m/

Some of these are horrible. Don't do them.

Originally Posted by Myaccount

"You shouldn't close your moniter without covering the keys, it will hurt the screen."

Just curious, is this true?

Originally Posted by Myaccount

"You shouldn't have got a compaq, HP and blahblah are far superior."

Let her know that Compaq = HP, unless your computer is more than 8 years old.

Originally Posted by rrtt

Just curious, is this true?

It will vary depending on the model of computer, but generally no. Ive heard of it happening but never seen a computer that had ill effects from teh keyboard

And to the OP....theres no real "good" way to approach her about this. She's gonna get defensive. Ive never lived on Res, so I can't tell you what avenue to go there. But from my experience with one roommate I didnt get along with, and another roommate whose gf I didnt get along with, the best thing you can do is get it out in the open. If she cares what you think/feel, she'll tone it down. If not, then you can tell her where to shove it without worrying about pissing her off. Worst case scenarion is she just doesn't talk to, and from the sounds of it, that's no big loss

Originally Posted by rrtt

Just curious, is this true?

No, it's patently false. What idiot would design a computer that damages itself like that? It's just a myth perpetuated to increase sales of "protective" keyboard covers.

If you must bring it up, then I agree with what the others have said, kind of mention is casually and calmly.
You could also buy her a sleep mask (to cover her eyes while you're doing homework). They sell some cute ones at La Senza. Give it to her as a gift, and maybe that could spark the conversation about how she critisizes you.

By the sounds of it, I don't think she'll care what you have to say. Personally I wouldn't say anything. My boyfriend had a crappy roommate in first year and he just put up with it. It's a pain, but TRUST ME you will look back in a few years and laugh.

I would suggest you invest in earplugs. They are lifesavers.

Originally Posted by Taunton

No, it's patently false. What idiot would design a computer that damages itself like that? It's just a myth perpetuated to increase sales of "protective" keyboard covers.

Nope...there is some element of truth. Closing the lid on your laptop in everyday use will not cause problems with keyboard-screen contact. However, for those who need to travel a lot and have to put a lot of weight in their computer bags where the load is carried on the laptop, the keyboard can begin to "etch" into the screen.

When some of ya end up in the real world logging a quarter of a million air miles a year lugging hefty binders with your laptop, then you'll probably have a problem. But don't worry...it'll likely be a company laptop!

While it's super tempting to get mad (I have 3 siblings and I share a room), the most important thing is to keep your cool.
If you get angry then the other person not only gets defensive but identifies you as the root of the problem.
To elaborate:
"WHY CAN'T SHE JUST LOOK AT THE TAP BEFORE SHE LEAVES THE BATHROOM?! IT IS RUNNING ALL THE TIME. HOW MANY TIMES BEFORE SHE GETS IT?"
Mediator: (Raises an eyebrow) "Okay...but why are you yelling...?"
Sibling: "SEE! She's always angry with me and she always picks on me."

I'd recommend the aforementioned strategies, especially "I feel statements"
If your roommate fails to understand simply tell her that you understand that you both have dramatically different views and feel that in order to maintain a healthy living relationship that you try to respect each others' space.

I think that living with another person is often more complex than dealing with one's own significant other or someone else's. (That's my personal opinion and I'd normally enjoy a healthy discussion on that but I will not respond to disagreements on that specific fact because I have two midterms and it's not helping the OP.)