It’s that time of year again, when your dorm RAs start reminding you that they’re kicking you out the day after finals finish and landlords rent out the apartment you haven’t even found a replacement for yet. Even if you haven’t figured out where you’re living next year, chances are you’ve decided whom you’re going to be living with. The Clog has a few things we urge you to keep in mind before jumping too quickly into bed(room) with someone. Ask yourself these questions before signing any leases:
1. How neat is this person? You might have thought that desk chair piling up with books and clothing at your friend’s house was charming, but if you’re going to be roomies with him, you’ll have to put up with that clutter day in and day out. If you’re someone who likes keeping everything labeled and in its right place (including your label-maker), then maybe finding someone a little more like-minded would be better for your mental health.
2. Does she snore? If you’ve never spent the night with your friend or interrogated someone who has, the answer to this question is usually a mystery. But it is crucial! Unless you’re one of those heavy sleepers who knocks out even during blaring sirens and natural disasters, you’ll have a miserable time falling asleep with all that sound going off on the other side of the room. If you’re OK with sleeping with headphones at night, then be our guest and share that room. If not, find a polite way to decline.
3. How late does this person stay up? You’ve figured out by now what your sleep patterns look like at school. Have your potential roommates’ habits matched up with them so far? It can be a pain having to leave the room to study when your roommate wants to go lights out for the night, and it can also be a pain if you’re the sleepy one with a stubborn, procrastinating roomie who simply has to click away on his essay into the wee hours of the night. You don’t have to sync sleep cycles with anyone, but maybe not shacking up with a rooster when you’re a night owl would be smart.
4. How social is she? Want your place to be part-ay central next year? Make sure your roomie(s) want the same. Otherwise, there will be many dirty looks and blunt complaints to deal with after your rambunctious gatherings. If you think you’d be the complainer, find people who prefer low-key movie nights to frat-style evenings. Your eardrums will thank you later.
5. How reliable is he? This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s pretty crucial. You don’t just want someone whom you think it’ll be fun to live with, true as that may be for a little while. You want someone who pays the rent on time, sticks to the cleaning schedule and contributes to the place without constantly having to be nagged. Trust us, all these things add to a much better living experience than living with that one friend who’s totally fun to hang out with but never pays you back in time. Your wallet and sanity will thank us later!
Image source: mattradickal under Creative Commons
Contact Erum Khan at [email protected] or follow her on twitter @erumjkhan.