1. Communicate: Communication is a big must when it comes to living with another person. It can be as simple as asking how their day was, to talking about a problem you are having. If you don’t like how they leave clothes on the floor, tell your roommate! More often than not, they will try and change it. If you don’t say anything, it will just build up inside and then you’ll blow up. It won’t end well.
2. Be considerate: If you’re the roommate leaving clothes on the floor like in tip number one, you need to realize that you aren’t the only one living there. Your roommate might not be okay with clothes laying on the floor or your bed being unmade. Try to come to a compromise with your roommate so bigger issues don’t pop up.
3. Don’t touch their stuff: If it’s not yours, don’t touch it. If your roomie lets you, then touch it all you want. If you don’t have expressed permission, Do. Not. Touch. It.
4. Privacy: This goes hand in hand with touching their stuff. Don’t invade your roommate’s personal space. If they have a journal that they write in, do not go through it while they are in class, no matter how tempting it is. If their phone keeps buzzing, don’t open and read the messages or read it over their shoulders. If they wanted you to see it, they’d show you.
5. Keep them up to date: If you are having someone over, tell your roommate BEFORE the visitor is at the door. Don’t just assume your roommate is okay with it. If you’re going out or sleeping somewhere, let your roommate know. Your roomie could be up all night worried because you didn’t come home at the time you usually do. Something could happen to you and no one will know where to find you. Tell your roommate.
6. Have a code: This prevents an extremely awkward and uncomfortable situation arising. Hang a scarf on the doorknob, write a code word on the whiteboard hanging on the door—do something so your roommate knows not to disrupt you. No one wants to walk in on that.
7. Don’t have sex in their bed: On the same note, don’t have sex in your roommate’s bed, even if you plan on washing the sheets. That’s just disgusting and weird and it’s concerning that it even needs to be on this list.
8. Do the dishes: Were you raised in a barn?? Just follow this little rhyme: If your Mac ‘N Cheese is green, you need to clean. (Hopefully, you don’t leave dirty dishes out for so long that it actually turns green.)
9. Don’t leave post-its: Like I said before, communication is crucial! Leaving notes around the room telling them to do the dishes or pick up their clothes is not only extremely passive aggressive but really obnoxious. Just confront them and explain the problem. Leaving notes that say where you will be or something you forgot to add to the grocery list is fine, but telling them to actually do the dishes will just make them not want to do it.
10. Don’t eat their food: If you didn’t buy it, don’t eat it unless you split the cost of groceries. Don’t eat the food that they bought with their money (or their parent’s), unless you ask first. If you have better food than your roomie, sharing your food would make you an awesome roommate, but if they stop buying their own food, stop sharing or make them split the cost. You’re an adult now! You can’t depend on someone forever.
11. Contain the mess: Keep the mess on your side of the room. If it smells like an animal died under your bed or you need a tetanus shot before you walk on your half of the room, it’s dirty and needs to be cleaned.
12. Sharing is Caring: If you have a Netflix account, share it. If y’all are in the same courses, share a textbook. It can really cut down costs, and sharing Netflix could make you friends fast.
13. Be quiet: I shouldn’t be able to hear your music from three doors down the hall. Dorm rooms are tiny. You don’t need to blast Lana Del Rey or Drake at midnight. You don’t need to shout to be heard. People are sleeping or studying, and you might be surprised, but no one cares that you haven’t talked to your friend in almost two weeks. Shut up.
14. Don’t ditch them: You don’t have to be best friends with your roommate, but if you realize that she doesn’t have many other friends, try to include her in your group or just spend some time with her. You might have more in common than you think.
15. Don’t touch their significant other: I can’t even believe this needs to be said. I don’t care how hot her boyfriend or crush is. DO NOT try to get with him. Not only will your roommate hate you, but you’ll get a really bad reputation and no one will be able to trust you. Even if you hate your roommate, that line should never be crossed. #GirlCode
16. Shower: Honestly. It’s shocking how many stories I’ve heard of people who don’t shower or even bother to keep themselves clean. I do not want to smell your body odor while I’m trying to eat my pop tart. Please shower, especially if you sweat a lot. For everyone’s sake, WASH YOURSELF.
17. Don’t be “that guy”: Everyone is entitled to his or her own beliefs. You can discuss these differences all you want, but never ever try to force your religious, political, or moral beliefs onto someone else. If your roommate is Pro-Choice, you can debate your reasons for being Pro-Life ‘til kingdom come, but don’t disrespect their beliefs by telling them that they’re stupid or their opinion is irrelevant. It’s down right rude.
18. Live and let live: Everyone has his or her own little quirks. Don’t bash them. Let them live their own life the way they want. Everyone is different. You probably have a bunch of weird things that you do, so don’t be a jerk and point them out.
19. Keep it to yourself: If your roommate moans in their sleep, don’t post a video on Instagram. If your roommate has to have everything paired in odd numbers, don’t tweet about it. Just don’t announce it to the entire world. They might be really embarrassed about it, and it could damage their self-esteem. Keep it to yourself.
20. Don’t be creepy: Being creepy includes watching them while they sleep, smelling their clothes while they’re gone, taking pictures of them without them knowing, etc. You don’t want to end up on an episode of “Snapped” or “CSI.” “Convicted Murderer” is not a good resume builder. “Orange is the New Black” is not a good portrayal of prison life.
Image Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19