Five Things to Consider When Choosing a Roommate

I have learned over the course of my college career that almost more important than choosing a major is choosing a roommate. A college roommate is like the shoes you choose to run a marathon in. If it’s a good fit, you are bound for success and a sense of accomplishment at the end. If there is constant friction or the shoes are of low quality, you can expect pain and blisters the whole way.

I have five tips to consider before moving in:

A good friend isn’t always a good roommate. Just because you like the same movies and music doesn’t mean you’ll both keep the bathroom clean or take out the trash. If all your friends call you the Neat Freak, don’t move in with your friend they call The Human Tornado. Not everyone has the same standards of hygiene and neatness, so make sure you can handle your roommate’s habits.

Working hard or hardly working? Your roommate will influence your grades about as much as Michael Jordan affects the outcome of a basketball game. If you move in with a party animal, know what you’re getting yourself into. On the other hand, if you’re the social butterfly, make sure you don’t move in with the valedictorian who needs constant quiet so he can maintain his streak of 500 consecutive A’s.

Washboard abs or increasing waistline? The majority of college students have either settled into a steady workout routine or are so far past the Freshman Fifteen that they have no problem eating pizza for all three meals. If your roommate is the latter of the two, you will probably be asked to accompany on a few fast food runs per week. The trickle down effect could kill any hopes you have of looking like Brad Pitt.

Potential traffic jam? Even if you’re both socially involved, your roommate could turn your place into the default hang out spot for his/your group of friends. That means that more often than not your house will become the pre- and post- social event headquarters. What that potentially means for you is that even if you are able to stay disciplined and go to bed early, you’ll likely have to deal with lots of noise into the wee hours of the night.

If your roommate is nocturnal, you will be too whether you like it or not. Let’s face it: although a roommate that stays up until 5 a.m. every night is not conducive to good grades, at some point you will see how much fun he or she is having and want to join in on the fun. This occasional late night inevitably turn into a few every week until your sleep schedule is so messed up that you can’t take classes before noon anymore. Your roommate’s sleeping patterns gradually become your own.

Take these words of wisdom so next time you have to decide who you’re going to shack up with, you will at least know what you’re getting yourself into.