Having a college roommate means talking early and often. That’s even more important if you live in the close quarters of a college dorm.

No matter how much your roommate may bother you, compromise is essential.

For example, my second year in college I lived with two friends in a dorm.

We were lucky. We had a bedroom, a living room with a mini-fridge and microwave, and a private bathroom. But all that space meant we had a lot to clean. And after hours of classes and work, no one wanted to do it.

So my roommates and I came up with a plan. We made a chart. Each week a different roommate was in charge of a different activity, such as vacuuming the carpet or (my least favorite) cleaning the toilet. If the task didn’t get done, we knew exactly who to blame!

With dust, dirt and short tempers, the situation easily could have turned into a dorm disaster. But we agreed on a plan that worked for us– before the issue became a real problem.

That’s the key: Talk to your college roommate before something is a problem. If you and your roommate are already annoyed with each other, it will be difficult to settle on a solution. But setting some rules at the beginning will help you not only become a good roommate, but also (hopefully!) good friends.

If you already live in a US college dorm and haven’t spoken to your roommate about the following issues, do so as soon as possible. Chances are, at least a few of them will come up sometime during the school year.

• music & noise
• visitors
• lights-out
• chores
• borrowing food, clothes or other items

Don’t expect everything to be settled precisely on your terms. I couldn’t stand the smell of my roommate’s coffee, but I knew she wouldn’t stop drinking it. I didn’t even ask. Sometimes you just have to deal with the quirks and whims of your college roommates– just like they have to deal with yours!

What have you and your college roomates done to make living in the dorms easier?

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