It’s that time of year again: the current school year is coming to a close and we all have to make decisions about next year.
Looking forward normally requires first looking backward.
For some of us, we moved into our current living situations with no idea who our roommates were going to be. For others, you might have been able to hand pick who you wanted to live with. Whatever the case, there are a few things to keep in mind when trying to decide who would make a good roommate.
Oftentimes, people assume that their closest friends will make the best roommates. After all, you know each other really well and you hang out all the time. At first glance, rooming with your besties does seem like a great idea. But, there are issues that come with your close friends also being your roommates.
Good friends do not always equal good roommates.
When picking roommates, think of people who you know you can live with, not just be good friends with. Living with people who you are already good friends with can lead to a world of heartache when, all of a sudden, you discover things about them you never knew. When the reality of unglamorous day-to-day living with someone sets in, you will find traits about your friends you never knew about since you weren’t sharing confined quarters with them. Sometimes this can lead to personalities clashing, and what was a good friendship can be strained. Just because you are roommates, does not mean that you will necessarily be best friends. That is OK. Sometimes, it works out better if you both have a separate life and events going on, but you can live well together.
A good roommate is someone who lives in a similar manner that you do. For example, if you like to get up super early, but your roommate is a night owl who stays up until 2 AM, this probably won’t be the best scenario. Another thing to consider is do they like to have people over? Do you? Is that person a neat freak, but you like to keep things out? Consider how you like to live, and find someone who lives like you do.
Above all, find roommates who are willing to talk with you. Open and honest communication will make a good roommate out of anyone.