Choosing a roommate is like choosing a car. The process should
take time, satisfy your needs, and if possible, allow students to
take prospects for a test drive.
The easiest reason to choose a roommate is because the person is
your friend or seems easy-going. However, by not taking necessary
steps to learn more about the person’s lifestyle, you very
well may end up with a lemon.
Your roommate will be one of the most significant people in your
life. Pick the wrong one and be miserable, pick the right one and
gain a lifelong friend. Here is a list of important factors to
consider before choosing a new roommate.
1) Cleanliness. This can be a little tricky because people
always say they like things to be clean, but that means nothing
about whether they actually keep things clean. Consider how much
effort a person is willing to put in to keep things clean. A person
may tell you he or she hates crumbs on the floor, but may live with
you for an entire year never knowing where the broom is kept. Make
sure you know how extreme or lenient your potential roommate is
with cleanliness to prevent getting stuck with someone completely
anal or entirely revolting.
2) Partying. Don’t just ask your forthcoming roommate if
he or she likes to throw parties. Ask them how often he or she goes
out to parties or bars. Just because your potential roommate
doesn’t throw parties doesn’t mean there aren’t
going to be pre-parties with friends coming over, drinking games
and obnoxiously loud activity. Furthermore, sometimes the party
they attend ends or the bar closes, and your roommate will bring an
entourage of inept drunks back to your apartment. Or perhaps your
roommate may have met someone and you are in for the unfortunate,
or fortunate if you’re into that, display of intoxicated
fornication.
3) Sharing. Many of you have not yet experienced the possessive
roommate or the roommate that doesn’t respect boundaries, and
for those of you this section is especially important. Some people
like to share everything from food to razors (I know it sounds
extreme, but trust me it’s true), and others don’t want
you to even look at their side of the room. Before signing a lease,
you need to decide whether food, clothes, computers, beauty
products, etc. will be shared. Without taking these precautions you
may find yourself having to resentfully replace condoms you hope to
use before your roommate does, or trying to break the lock of your
roommate’s secret box while your date is losing interest.
4) Significant others. Make sure you know if your pending
roommate is in a relationship and how often he or she sees the
significant other. If they are always together, I can guarantee
that you will feel as if your one roommate has turned into two and
yet your rent has stayed the same. You will find yourself waiting
to use the bathroom more, watching “Oprah” if you are
male, “The Man Show” if you are female, and trying to
concentrate on a paper through the resonance of giggling and petty
arguments.
5) Personality. Make sure they match! Do you like to be alone
for the most part or do you like to talk about your day over dinner
and watch “The Bachelor” together? Another imperative
issue is whether you are a night or morning person. If you are a
night person, lights, your computer or the television may bother
your roommate. And in the mornings you might be disturbed by your
roommate’s alarm and getting-ready-for-school routine. Do you
like to study at home or in the library? Do you mind your room
being decorated with bongs or having random people in your living
room staring maliciously at you as they collect their grab bag?
Finally, when choosing a roommate don’t just take his or
her word when it comes to living standards. Ask some previous
roommates or friends, and if possible, spend some time over at
their current place to see with your own eyes their personal
lifestyle. You wouldn’t buy a car without asking to see or
test drive it, would you? Just remember, how much you like a person
is not the issue, but rather how well your living standards match
up. Without identifying potential problems up front, you may spend
365 days in hell. Happy hunting!