Living with a roommate in college for the first time can be both exciting and nervous prospect. Since most schools will assign who will be living together, there is little you can do in choosing what type of person you will be sharing a room with for the next semester or longer. In most cases, roommates tend to either be great friends and enjoy many campus related activities together or they can have the potential to become worst enemies as they argue over the space they need to share. Here are some tips for adjusting to living with one another for the best possible outcome:

1. Set consistent rules: While rules may seem boring, having a few basic rules will help you both stay on track and know what is expected of one another. Rules can be as simple as no dirty laundry on the floor to no guests after midnight. Being able to agree on a few basic rules will help keep arguments over these things to a minimum.

2. Respect each other’s privacy: Chances are you do not want your roommate going through all of your personal belongings and neither would your roommate want you to go through theirs. Always ask before taking something of theirs, and resist that temptation to go through their stuff when they’re not around.

3. Clean up after yourself: College is no excuse to become a complete slob or to make a mess. Often roommates will have different definitions on what is “clean” or not and this can cause a lot of petty arguments. Instead of fighting over this, just make it a habit for both of you to clean up after yourselves.

4. Keep Problems to Yourself: If you have a problem with your roommate, it is best to talk to them yourself. Do not be tempted to complain about him or her to other people living on your floor, as this will likely cause a lot of unnecessary drama and create even bigger problems.

Living with someone else takes some adjusting, but it can be done and by following these tips it is likely the two of you will be able to get along with one another effortlessly, no matter how different or alike you may be.