We all want to have that college roommate that becomes our BFF, the maid of honour/best man at our wedding, the one we will reminisce and laugh with the rest of our lives. YOUR actions will affect your relationship! Here is an easy guide to getting along with each other.

Listen
The first step in any kind of relationship is to listen to the other person. The first few days, talk about everything, and really listen to the answers, remember them, respond to them. Being an active listener makes it much more probable that if issues arise, you'll be able to deal with them.

Pause
If this is your first time sharing space with another person (especially without having another part of the house to cool down in) you might be forgetting that everyone needs a little ME time. So, either find some place on campus to take some alone time, take a walk, or maybe even schedule some time when you can hang out in the room by yourself.

Argue fairly
There are going to be arguments, but how you resolve them is up to you. Be FAIR, and don't be accusatory--this means make only “I” statements--as in “I felt like that was really unkind” as opposed to “You're being such a b*&%#!!!”. “I” statements ensure that you're coming to the table with YOUR grievances--and not making assumptions about someone else's. Try to stay as calm as possible, and again, LISTEN. Whatever they're saying probably has a grain of truth--don't get defensive, get to the root of the problem!

Compromise
The room half belongs to your roommate, so you'll have to compromise on space, time, noise, and a whole lot of other things. Talk it over, and work out a solution that's fair to both of you.

Talk it out
Being passive aggressive (turning up your music when your roomie's not looking, etc) is no way to solve anything. It will just make the situation worse. Bring up an issue before it gets ugly and you can talk it out without problem.

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