I’ve written a couple of articles this year about living with other people that varied from how not to deal with conflict to what I’ve learned from living in an apartment. For my latest apartment installment, I am going to offer some tips on how to be a considerate roommate, especially for the underclassmen who will be living with anywhere from three to seven people next year.

1. Don’t slam your doors late at night or early in the morning.

There’s nothing more aggravating than trying to fall asleep the night before an exam in your hardest class than hearing people constantly slamming the doors. Rule of thumb: if it’s later than 11 p.m., think before you slam.

2. If you have to do work late at night but your roommate wants to sleep, go outside to the common area.

Doing work late at night in your room will vary from roommate to roommate. My roommate can sleep through just about anything and has no problem if my lamp is on while I’m finishing up my work. However, if your roommate is a light sleeper, do them a favor and work in the common area; having more space is one of the perks of being an upperclassman.

3. Try to minimize the number of times that your alarm goes off in the morning.

If you and your roommate are on different schedules, multiple alarms going off at random intervals can become a bit much. My roommate and I are lucky enough to have 8 a.m.’s on the same three days — are we really that lucky to have 8 a.m.’s at all, though? —, so sometimes multiple alarms are for the best when you were up until 1:30 a.m. watching “Frasier” on Netflix.

4. Clean the various kitchen surfaces after you use them.

I can’t stress this one enough — please clean the kitchen surfaces and the floor. Food splashes everywhere and if you don’t clean regularly, it’ll be a pain to clean later. Also, don't leave it for one of your roommates to clean on her own the night before her mother comes to pick her up for Thanksgiving break. (No … I’m not speaking from bitter experience at all.)

5. Remove your hair from the drain after you’ve finished showering.

No one wants to find clumps of hair when they go to take a shower next. I’m certainly guilty of forgetting at times, but if that’s the case — get a drain stopper. It saves lives — and the occasional person from a nasty gag reflex while picking up hair.

6. Don’t overuse soap.

The same rule applies for paper towels. Neither one of these household necessities are cheap, so use them sparingly. Of course, you’ll need to use more during the cold months when flu season is rampant, but if you have soap residue on the bathroom counter, you’ve gone too far.

7. If your roommate has something that you would like or need, simply ask.

There are certain things that roommates get together that are given free reign, but if it was something specifically purchased by your roommate — simply ask. You can never go wrong and if they’re really tired of you asking, they’ll let you know. Most of the time, they’ll appreciate that you were thoughtful enough to think before you took something.

8. If you come back from a party late at night, don’t run up and down the hall in heels.

If it’s 12:30 a.m. and you were back in your apartment for the last 15 minutes, there is no reason why you should still be wearing heels and running up and down the hall. That is all that I have to say on the matter.

9. Don’t consistently let the garbage overflow; if you see that it’s high, throw it out.

Sometimes people forget to take out the garbage or they notice that it's high and they’re in a rush, so they say that they’ll worry about it later. However, if you have time, take the extra two minutes and empty the trash.

10. Don’t make the common area your closet.

At the end of the night, clean up after yourself. If your books, sweatshirts and shoes are all either on the table or under the couch, you’ll probably have an issue with your roommates.

People will say that all of the tips mentioned above go without saying, but they do not, believe me. Rather than fighting about it — or writing passive aggressive articles —, try to compromise with your roommates. However, if that fails, you can always write about it for the world to see.