So it’s the new semester. Whether you’re a first-year student living in residence or just want to find a new place to live, it’s time to start looking. On January 31st, many students will sign a form informing their landlord whether they plan on staying for another year or not, which means many new rentals will be put on the market. However, before you can sign a lease, you need to decide who you’re living with. This guide will help you decide what is most important to you and assist you with choosing a roommate and achieving the ultimate roommate goals.
Do you want to live with someone in the same program?
There are many pros to living with someone in the same program.
– You’ll most likely share the same classes and have similar schedules.
– You’re guaranteed to have someone to study with for finals.
– If you have questions about school work or in general, I’m sure they will be there to help.
Do you have the same sleep schedules?
Living with someone with similar sleep schedules is overall the way to go. The last thing you want is to have your roommate blasting music or making noise in general at four in the morning, especially if you have an exam the next day. If you’re an early riser you wouldn’t want to worry about waking up your roommates and causing an argument. We all are stressed about school, we all have our own personal obstacles and sleep is a necessity we all need. Don’t give up your sleep. Do you really want to be the one drooling on your desk in class because of this? I think not!
Cleanliness
I cannot stress how important this is. From what I’ve heard and seen the one thing to drive roommates crazy and apart is cleanliness. It can be as simple as coming home after a long day of class and not being able to eat anything because none of the dishes are washed. No matter how in sync your cleanliness is with your roommates’, it’s important to have some sort of cleaning schedule or chore list. It doesn’t have to be elaborate—nobody wants a long roommate agreement like Sheldon Cooper’s—but it should be clear enough so everyone is doing their part. In my apartment there are four of us, and each week two of us split up the work. One will vacuum the floors and the other will clean the kitchen. It may sound strict to some but it saves a whole lot of bickering.
At the end of the day live with people you are comfortable with and your friends, as you’ll have to share the same living space with them. These are the people you’ll make memories with. Make sure they’re good ones filled with adventures and happiness not bitterness.