First, it’s your roommate’s gender. Some people are quite comfortable with sharing their accommodation with either gender, but you shouldn’t be too quick to accept anyone. Think about how someone from the opposite gender could affect your current household, in terms of existing roommates, varied lifestyles, personalities, certain gender-oriented characteristics etc. The age of your roommate will be another point of consideration. People of different ages hold different viewpoints, interests and living patterns.

Specify whether your household is smoking-friendly or non-smoking. You don’t want any arguments after all the living arrangements are made. Drinking habits should also be discussed prior to accepting anyone as a roommate, because if the grocery expenses are shared, either party may not be happy about spending money on alcohol.

Personalities influence a group’s dynamics and interaction pattern. If you have several roommates and some of them are quiet and laid-back while the others are loud and outgoing, you will definitely notice some friction between the two types. Ensure you make a thorough selection by understanding each person’s personality. Hobbies and interests are equally important in this equation, because if tastes in entertainment, food and activities differ considerably among the roommates, conflicts are quite likely to occur.

Be clear about the roommate’s expected length of stay. Some rentals are provided on an annual basis, while others are just monthly or weekly. Clarifying such issues and binding the agreement on paper are essential if you are to have a good relationship with your roommates. Additionally, you should look for a roommate who has a similar entertaining style to you. If you prefer a quiet household and your roommate constantly entertains people, it will not work out very well. Your roommate’s level of independence will play a key role as well, especially if it conflicts with your own style.

Tip #1 – Get Some Rules

Rules are important for college students that are rooming together. If you don’t set any rules in the beginning, the roommate will think that anything goes. Sit down and talk about the preferences that both of you have. Does one of you like getting up early in the morning or staying up late? Do you have to have quiet when doing homework? Do you prefer listening to the music turned all the way up? Find out about these things early and come up with some rules together. It makes living together a bit easier.

Tip #2 – Learn the Art of Compromise

Okay, so you may not feel like compromising. More than likely you are used to having your room your way. Well, get over that now. Compromise is the name of the game when you have a college roommate. Of course, you shouldn’t be the one giving in all the time. Both of you need to work together to compromise so you can come up with good solutions that you both can deal with.

Tip #3 – Talk to Each Other

Many roommates get frustrated and just hold things in. This is a mistake and will only cause more problems. If something is bothering you, talk to your roommate about it. The more you talk to each other, the more you can avoid conflict and annoying each other even more. Just be honest and save your battles for things that are really important. Complaining all the time isn’t going to get anything done for you.

Tip #4 – Respect Your Roommate and Their Property

When you have seen your roommate stagger in at 3am trashed on Sunday morning, it may be tough to have respect for them, but you need to respect them as well as their property. One big compliant that roommates have is their other roommate going through their stuff. Don’t do this. You don’t want them taking your things, so save a lot of big fights and just respect them and their property. You’ll be more likely to get through your first year of college without getting beat up that way.