One of the biggest challenges you will face in your entire college career is living with a stranger who is completely different from you. He likes video games and you like cross fit. She likes shopping and Instagram while you just want to sleep.
Although it may seem awkward for a while, there are ways to successfully live with someone you don’t know, and even like it a little bit. If you use these tips religiously, perhaps you and your roommate won’t hate each other.
Don’t invite people over without your roommate(s) knowing. Be respectful. The walls in your apartment are only so thick, and you and your guest being loud in the middle of the night can get to be quite annoying. So establish some agreements between each other to make sure you all are on the same page.
Don’t eat their food. If you didn’t buy it, don’t eat it. Unless your roommate is present when you are eating the food and has already said you can have some, don’t eat it. It’s not worth the argument.
Clean up after yourself. Your roommate is not your mom, and if your shared space is dirty enough for them to complain about, I’m sure they don’t want to be. Avoid unnecessary conflict by keeping your mess in your own area.
Get to know everyone’s backgrounds. Everyone comes from a different background. That is one of the best things about college: you get to meet people from all over the place. Getting to know where people are from, how many
Keep valuables locked up. I’m not saying that your new roommate is a kleptomaniac, but when you live with people you don’t know or are living a hallway of 20 to 30 other people, keeping your expensive or valuable items locked in a safe will ensure you never have to deal with lost or stolen goods.
Get to know each other’s schedules. After spending a lot of time together, you will start to know when the other people will be home or away. However, knowing their schedule ahead of time will help you get the privacy you need.
You don’t have to be best friends. So many people think that they have to be buddy-buddy with the person they are destined to spend the whole year with. At first, it may be convenient to have someone around with whom you can eat dinner, go grocery shopping and explore the town, but if you decide this person isn't your “type,” you don’t have to be best friends. Maintaining a level of respect for each other’s space is all you need to make it through the year.