It’s two in the morning and music is bumping, the walls and floors are vibrating from sound and you feel like you’re at a club or in the middle of a raging house party … but you’re not. You’re in your bedroom trying hard to study for an exam that you have tomorrow, but don’t try telling that to your neighbors.
Having noisy neighbors is more than likely something that every student will encounter during our time at Berkeley. High risk areas include frat row, anywhere on Southside, or the occasional tricked out dorm room. Since avoiding these high risk areas isn’t exactly practical or possible in some cases, we at the Clog want you to be prepared to handle a noisy situation.
While there are more conventional ways of dealing with a noise problem such as speaking with your neighbors directly, leaving them a note, or talking to your R.A. or landlord, we at the Clog have developed some more unconventional ways of dealing with a noise problem when the normal way just won’t do.
Come baring gifts: While some may call this “bribery,” we personally find that small requests such as asking them to turn down the music are more likely to be heeded if it involves giving them something sugary for their trouble.
Fight fire with fire: Okay, so this may be a more childish way of dealing with this problem but it is definitely the most satisfying, and is free. Useful approaches are blasting music of your own, turning up the volume on your TV or tapping the ceiling with a broom handle.
Invest in your future: Say absolutely nothing about the excessive noise your neighbor is making. The benefit of this approach? They can’t say anything about your noise when you decide to have party of your own.
The creep: Whenever your neighbor starts to make too much noise go over to their place, knock on the door and wait for them to answer. When they come to the door put on your creepiest smile, extend your hand and say, “Hi, I’m ‘blank’.” Let the handshake linger for too long, maintain that creepy smile and don’t say anything else. The goal here is to make this interaction as awkward and uncomfortable as possible for everyone involved. Do this every time your neighbors makes too much noise. While this solution may take longer, what we’re going for here is a Pavlovian solution to the problem. Eventually your neighbor will dread these interactions so much that they will stop making noise all together.
Acceptance of defeat: Unfortunately, while there are many ways to try and deal with noisy neighbors, the sad truth is that not much is likely to change them if they are set in their ways. However, what you do have complete control over is how you react and feel about the situation. If nothing else works, simply choose to not be upset about. Instead of working against your situation, work with it. Invest in some earplugs or quality noise-cancelling headphones and at the very leas, bask in your feelings of superiority in having taken the high road.
Image Source: Craig Miles under Creative Commons