Figuring out who you were going to live with in a dorm as a freshman was easy. Student housing at your college took care of it for you.
However, now that you’re considering moving off campus, deciding on a roommate is a much tougher decision and a much more important one. Without a resident adviser to mediate when things go wrong, choosing your first roommate can be vital to your college success and even your future financial situation.
Before picking a roommate, take this college apartment quiz to see if even having a roommate is the right decision for you.
Here are some things to think about when you decide who to share your apartment with:
Does his or her study style mesh with mine? Your roommate choice should be someone who will study in the same manner you do. If you require silence to study and she needs to blast her stereo, you might have problems.
How will you split the bills? Sometimes your best friend is not a great roommate, especially if he never pays his rent on time or thinks beer money is more important than money for the utilities bill. Make sure your roommate choice is responsible and dependable for his share of the bills.
Is the potential roommate neat? You don’t want to be someone’s Mom by checking to see if your roommate is making their bed every day. However, make sure to find a roommate who will remember to do the dishes and scrub the toilet when it’s their turn.
Does he like to party? Having friends over some of the time is part of the college experience, but having a revolving door of strangers in your living room is not always comfortable. Talk to your roommate about rules for visitors before you sign a lease.
Can the potential roommate afford the apartment? This is probably the hardest conversation to have with a potential roommate, but one of the most important. Before you agree to share bills with someone, talk to them about how they will pay their share of the bills.
When you pick out the perfect roommate, what other questions would you need the answers to? Let us know about them in the comment section below.
Equal Housing Opportunity
10 Comments. Leave new
[…] hunting for a college apartment, the first decision needs to be whether you even want a roommate. If the decision to find an apartment is a financial one, then sharing your apartment makes sense […]
[…] discover that even if you have effective methods of choosing a roommate, learning to live with certain unexpected personalities takes some psychological […]
[…] living with your best friends may be fun, you also want to choose responsible roommates that pay their rent on time and help out with the utility bills. If it’s just party, party, […]
[…] your apartment community doesn’t offer roommate matching, there’s still no reason to panic. Since you most likely would prefer to have roommates that […]
[…] Who will handle the rent? Someone has to deal with the landlord. Decide ahead of time how this will be done. Will one check be written? Will each roommate write a check for their portion of the rent? […]
[…] Some people like to be surrounded by noise all the time. If they don’t have the TV or music on, they might have people over. Others prefer to work quietly in their rooms and socialize only once in a while. If you’re a noisy person, you might not want to be around a quiet one and vice versa. These are things you can come right out and ask someone you’re considering as a potential roommate. […]
[…] life while finding a decent place to rent. Then you had to worry about how to pay that rent, plus what kind of roommates you’d have just for […]
[…] roommates for each other. Even if you’ve already decided that you’re going to be roommates, take some extra time to get to know each other before you make that final jump and move in […]
[…] a list of personality traits you can’t stand. Suggest your prospective housemate do the same. If you even suspect the […]
[…] followed all the advice for picking the perfect roommate. After a little time living together you notice that you and your roommate have very different […]