How to Be an Excellent Roommate

Sometimes you don't get to choose your roommate in college (think freshman year), while other times we choose to live with our best friend and realize that he or she isn't the greatest person with whom to share a tiny dorm room. While you can't control how your roommate will act, you can improve the situation by being the best roommate you can be. Hopefully, your excellent, respectful manners will rub off on the person or people with whom you are living. Sometimes, leading by example is the only way to get through to others.

Being considerate of your roommate's space is probably the best way to show your respect for him or her. Once you set up your dorm room, make sure to stay within your boundaries. Keeping your part of the room neat will restrict your need to use space that isn't yours. Also, if you maintain a clean portion of the room, your roommate is more likely to follow suit in that department. Another aspect of respecting their space is by not having friends over when you know that your roommate needs time to study. Remember that your goal is to have your roommate reciprocate your model behavior.

Opening the lines of communication early on is a key to developing a strong relationship with your roommate. Don't be afraid to talk about how you want the room to be set up. This should be a give and take process. Sharing each other's thoughts about the room will lead to the establishment of some basic ground rules by which you two can live. Getting this out of the way early in the semester will help you two avoid major issues down the road. Encourage your roommate to speak up when something is bothering him or her. One of the easiest ways for a roommate relationship to sour is to allow problems to fester. Air out your differences in a respectful manner and many of these issues will be addressed before they become major problems.

Don't expect to be best friends with your roommate. This may happen, but don't force it. Live your own life. The two of you may naturally gravitate towards each other in friendship, but the first most important thing is to set up living conditions with which you both can be happy. Don't feel the need to invite your roommate out with you every time you're going to a party or to dinner. This falls under respecting their space. You don't want them to feel compelled to go along with you.