Set Rules from the Start

• Setting rules from the start with your new roommate will help your college years flow smoother and without much controversy. Making up rules as you go can lead to many confrontations and confusion. Rule topics should include lights-out time, drinking, visitors and sharing of possessions. If you want to have visitors over for intimate situations, do not do it while your roommate is there, or is expected to be there. Do not put your roommate in a situation where he or she could get in trouble.
  
  

Equal Living Space

• Dorm rooms and suites are definitely not the most spacious living areas. The area of the room needs to be divided evenly between your roommate and you. If you are sharing items such as a refrigerator, keep that item on a boundary line so that both people have access to it without intruding on the other person. If you are sharing an item, like the television or refrigerator, do not take up the whole item yourself.
  
  

Privacy

• Give your roommate privacy. Do not touch anything that is not defined as shared. If your roommate has an outside issue and does not want to discuss it with you, let it go. Be courteous and respectful to his or her private life. Just because you live together does not mean you have to know everything that is going on in his or her life. Likewise, just because you are roommates does not mean you have to be friends.
  
  

Clean up After Yourself

• The last thing anyone wants is to live with is a messy person. Keep your mess secluded to your side of the room. Do not leave out rotting food. Take your trash out regularly and do laundry before the basket overflows onto the floor. Clean dishes immediately after you use them.
  
  

Respect Study and Sleep Habits

• If your roommate is studying for a major exam, do not blast your stereo or computer. Use headphones to keep your habits to yourself. Likewise, if your roommate wants to sleep, respect that and bring your friends or music elsewhere. College naps during the day are a popular occurrence. If you come in late at night, be quiet. If you are awake before your roommate in the morning, be quiet while you are getting ready.