When you first go to college, you usually go there not really knowing anyone. This means that you get stuck being roommates with some stranger that you’ve never met for the rest of the year. A select lucky few will become good friends with their roommate, while everyone else ranges from “they’re ok” to “they wear the same shirt everysingleday” to “I don’t even want to go back to my room because I’m afraid they’ll be there.” Here is a list of ways to utilize your experience this year and plan for next year.

1. Know your level of cleanliness

When figuring out who you want as a roommate, figure out how clean you keep your dorm. A lot of the time, you keep your dorm cleaner than your room or vice versa. Then find someone who can comfortably live that that level with you or find a cleaning compromise. For example, I have a friend who loves cleaning bathrooms, so her roommate never has to.

2. Know your sleeping patterns

Know whether you have a tendency to go to sleep late and get up late, go to sleep early and rise early, nap a lot or something in between. Also keep in mind how easy it is for you to fall asleep. Can you sleep with the lights on, music playing and while standing up? Do you need some light noise like music or a fan going to lull you to sleep? Do you need absolute silence and darkness to even begin the process? You need to find someone with a similar pattern or someone with whom you can figure out how to work around each other’s sleep schedules and abilities. This may mean someone has to leave the room to finish their late-night homework, or there has to be a lights out, games off courtesy once you say you’re going to bed. Don’t be afraid to push for what you need in order to sleep comfortable.

3. Someone you get along with

You need to make sure you pick someone you’re comfortable sharing a room with. One thing I love about my roommate is that we love being together without actually doing the same thing. She likes playing video games, while I like to read. We like to talk as much as we like to just sit with each other. This is not to say you should room with your best friend; rooming with your best friend can lead a great strain on your relationship because you’re spending so much time together, and because you may have to deal with a quirk of theirs that drives you crazy. Also this is not saying you can’t room with your best friend; I’ve seen it go both ways.

4. Know your personal space needs

Are you a let’s-just-split-the-room-down-the-middle kind of person with your stuff on one side and hers on the other or do you prefer to have you beds bunked on one side with your dressers and desks lined up on the other? You need to know how comfortable you are with sharing your things and how much personal space you want.

5. Communicate!

Communication is a key component to any successful relationship. This is especially true when you live with the person. If something is bothering you, you need to be comfortable enough to talk to that persona bout your problem. You also need to clearly communicate who is bringing what (i.e. I bring the microwave, you bring the mini fridge) and how much of your stuff you’re willing to share (i.e. You can use my dishes, but my makeup is off limits), especially when it comes to things that are expensive and/or important to you.

Communicating about guests is also important, so no one is surprised. Finally, communicate your schedules. My roommate and I keep our schedules on the wall so we know when we can get a hold of the other and when to expect the other in the room. During my freshman year my roommate told me she would be leaving every weekend to go home and work; this let me know that she hadn’t dropped off the face of the earth.