It’s that time of year! No, not Thanksgiving, pumpkin spice or turkey season, though all of those are exciting; it’s apartment-hunting season. You may have found the perfect location with the perfect rent, but how do you know you have the perfect roommate? Here are some things to consider before deciding to live with a friend.
CleanlinessYou may be fine living with a weeks worth of dishes in your sink or dropping your shoes off wherever as soon as your walk in the apartment, but that doesn’t mean your potential roommate is. Nobody wants to be the roomie who has to nag about chores, and nobody wants to be a burden on his or her more sanitary friends. The solution is to make sure your roommate has the same standards as you.
Social lifeIn order to live well together, you need to know what’s okay as far as having people come over. Your roommate might not be as relaxed about your boyfriend hanging out until 2 a.m. or your legendary pre-games before heading to Midtown. If you aren’t on the same page, it might cause arguments down the road.
Sleep scheduleThis kind of goes hand-in-hand with socialization. If you’re a light sleeper, you might want to reconsider living with the gal who likes to stay up late watching Gilmore Girls on the living room TV. The same thing goes if you’re the one who’s watching Gilmore Girls. You don’t want your roomie yelling at you to turn the volume down.
PetsThis is a major issue that needs to be discussed before you sign a lease with someone. Just because you think your new kitten is cute when it follows you around everywhere, it doesn’t mean your roommate will enjoy it clawing up her legs as she tries to cook.
Sometimes it’s better to decide not to room with a friend rather than to ruin a friendship over differences in lifestyles. Be sure to sit down and have an honest, mature conversation about your living arrangements and know that not living together doesn’t mean you still can’t be BFFs. Happy apartment hunting, collegiettes!