The following is a list of ideas on how to make living with a roommate a pleasant experience – 1~ Always treat your roommate how you would like to be treated. Speak to them and their guests and family members with respect at all times. 2~ Be respectful of each other’s space and belongings. Don’t sit on your roommates bed – or borrow an article of their clothing without permission. 3~ Establish some ground rules. Talk about cleaning duties and food and toiletry purchases, so that everything is divided evenly and everyone is on the same page from the beginning. 4~ Know each other’s schedule. Learn your roommate’s schedule, and respect it. If you have opposite schedules, wear headphones while watching television, and keep the lights off while they are sleeping. 5~ Take care of your pets. If you have a pet, it is your responsibility to care for it. Don’t spend the night elsewhere, leaving your roommate with your pet without asking first. 6~ Talk about overnight guests in advance. Don’t ever show up unannounced with a friend that you would like to have for the night. Discuss ahead of time where guests will stay. This goes for both friends and romantic encounters. 7~ Never eat your roommate’s food without permission or unless a food sharing system has been established. Even if you agree of sharing food, don’t eat their last favorite snack or breakfast bar that they might have been counting on. Always leave your roommate’s favorite food or snack items for them to enjoy. 8~ Remember to be cordial, but keep in mind that there are always times when your roommate may not feel like chatting, like when they are trying to study, and respect those times. 9~ Don’t ever bring illegal substances into the room before talking about it with your roommate. If your roommate is against these substances, or if you are under age and they disagree with alcohol being around, fully respect that decision, and keep it out of your room. 10~ Don’t keep things bottled up. Sharing a small space with someone is going to bring some difficult times. As they will probably do things that may annoy you, remember that you may not be easy to live with either. The best way to get through this is to talk to each other, sharing your views with respect. This will help you to understand them better and move forward. 11~ Try to be clean. Don’t leave your clothes piled up on your bed, or your dirty towels on the bathroom floor. It’s difficult to share such a small living space, but when things are dirty, it can be almost unbearable. Try to clean up after yourself and ask your roommate to do the same. 12~ You don’t have to be best friends. You don’t have to be best friends and constantly socialize with your roommate, but if your room is attached to an additional room and you are going out with several other roommates, never exclude one. This will only cause hurt feelings and you must live together for the remainder of the year. Think of their feelings and include them in things when others are involved. 13~ Although you may talk frequently keep family drama or boyfriend trouble to yourself. Dragging your roommate into all of your personal struggles may make them grow tired of you quickly. 14~ Don’t snoop. Even if your roommate is gone for the weekend, never feel that it is a good idea to look through their belongings. You don’t want someone picking through your personal things, so show respect and don’t browse through theirs. 15~ Don’t gossip about your roommate. Even if you think that your conversation is in complete confidence with a best friend, everyone talks and chances are that words will get back to your roommate. Try not to talk bad about them to anyone, even if things between you aren’t the best. Keep conversations positive – strengthening your relationship. There will always be struggles with living with someone new in a small space, but with a little respect and an open relationship, you and your roommate can not only survive, but thrive throughout the school year.