Living with roommates can be one of life's toughest experiences, especially if those roommates are complete strangers. Whether or not roommates get along with one another can set the tone for the rest of the year, for better or for worse. This is why selecting a college roommate can't be done at random if you want pleasant results. You must carefully consider what type of person you can see yourself living with and choose wisely (This is something that they unfortunately didn't cover in the college housing checklist). Here are some tips to help you find the right college roommate.
Choosing Friends as Roommates
It probably sounds great to be able to live with friends as opposed to complete strangers, but this isn't always the case. Friends don't always make the best roommates, and just because you're friends doesn't mean that you're compatible as roommates. In fact, many friendships have been ruined over the course of rooming together. If you do decide to live with friends, make sure that they are the type of person that you can see yourself living with. That is, you need to have similar lifestyle behaviors in order for it to work out well.
Things to Consider in a Roommate
In order to find the perfect roommate match there are a number of things to consider in a roommate, including:
- Sleeping habits - Are they an early riser or night owl?
- Study habits - Are they dedicated to their studies or more of a slacker?
- Party habits - Are they hardcore partiers and drinkers?
- Cleanliness - Are they fairly neat and tidy or complete slobs? You don't want to get stuck living with a messy roommate.
Qualities to Look For in a Roommate
In order to find a roommate that is least likely to turn into a living nightmare, look for the qualities of a good roommate. These are:
- Reliability - A reliable roommate won't let you down on things like rent and utilities and will be more likely to come through on favors.
- Good communication skills - Good communication between roommates is extremely important and is the foundation of a good roommate relationship. Roommates need to be able to communicate with one another when problems arise in order to work them out before they get out of hand.
- Trustworthy - You need to be able to trust that your roommate is that type of person that will respect you, your space and your belongings. You shouldn't have to worry about leaving your roommate alone in the student apartment with all your things.
- Friendly - Your roommate doesn't have to be your best friend, but they should be easy to get along with and you should enjoy his or her company.
- Considerate - This is another big characteristic to look for in a roommate. You need find a roommate with common sense and decency. Someone that helps clean the house, won't blast their music during late hours and generally respects your needs.
Living with roommates will take some adjustments on everyone's part, but it doesn't have to be a bad experience. Sharing an apartment with roommates can be a great experience if the right roommates are chosen. If you are still apprehensive about living with strangers you can find online resources to aid in your roommate search. RoomieMatch is a roommate matching service that matches you up with potential roommates based on lifestyle and personality factors.
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