1. Communicate Any Issues Upfront
Living with another person in a confined space can be tough, and issues are likely to arise. It’s better to address these as they come, rather than to bottle up conflicts. Communication with your roommate tends to be the biggest key to success.
2. Be Mindful of Each Other's Sleep
When you’re in college, sleep becomes your best friend. Be sure to be respectful of your roommate sleep schedule and doublethink having friends over to listen to music when they’re taking a nap. Also, be sure both you and your roommate can agree on compatible sleeping environments.
3. Stay True to Your Guest Policy
Having friends come visit you from their colleges and hometowns is always an exciting time, but make sure you’re not hosting anyone without first double checking with your roommate. If you agreed on a guest policy and you’re acting within that, you should be good to go to host friends whenever you’d like!
4. Common Space Maintenance
Don’t put it on your roommate to always be the one cleaning the bathroom, kitchen or common space. If everyone pulls equal weight, everything should be smooth sailing.
5. Bring Headphones
Remember to care for yourself. Living with another person is not easy and will often test you. Bring headphones for that extra layer of privacy when you need to focus on you- whether it be a late night Netflix binge, or a super crammed study sesh.
6. Help Each Other
After all, being roommates means having each other’s backs. At times it can be tough, but supporting your roommate can go a long way in building a relationship. And who knows - maybe they’ll be there for you too.
