The process of finding a roommate is different everywhere and for the most part, universities do a pretty good job of finding matches; however, there are instances where you must look for your own roommate and a very important part of that are these key questions listed below. Of course, it is important to weigh in personality similarities as well as other aspects like common interests and collegiate goals but posted below are common problems that occur between roommates and how you can avoid them when searching for a living companion.

1) Hot or Cold?

Temperature is a very important aspect of living, especially in such a small, confined area like a dorm room. If one of you likes the room hot while the other can’t stand it, tension is more than likely going to arise. Ask what they are okay living with and don't make a compromise that you are not comfortable with.

2) Morning or Night person?

No one likes to wake up to a grouch in the morning but if both of you share the hatred for the dawn then your chances of happiness with each other are much higher.

3) What time of day do they wake up?

This one doesn’t seem like a big deal but if your roommate is still sleeping past 12 or 1 and you feel like you have to be super quiet in your room for half of your day, you’re probably going to get frustrated.

4) What kind of smells do they like? Dislike?

A dorm room is a very small space and if you can’t stand a certain smell, it’s important to tell your roommate. It’s also important to be respectful of what they like and dislike so that you can live peacefully amongst each other.

5) What is their level of cleanliness?

After living in a dorm for only a semester I have seen many roommate problems occur because one person is less clean than the other. If you both go into the rooming situation with a similar living style or at least talk about how often you clean and what you are okay living with, you have a much better chance of working out.