For the majority of students, a roommate can be a new experience. Come August, thousands of students have to go from living with their families to living with friends or even strangers. Coming from an upperclassman, here are eight tips to help you live in a war-free zone with your roommates.

• 1. Keep it clean. I cannot stress this one enough. This includes all common areas (living room, shared bathroom, kitchen, etc.). Nothing is worse than a roommate who doesn’t do his or her own dishes. It’s gross, it looks bad and it’s inconsiderate to your roommates. Take the extra minute to load the dishwasher, put away your glass or wash your pot. Remember to sweep and vacuum regularly and to wipe up any mess that you may leave!
• 2. Limit the boyfriend/girlfriend visits. Again, speaking from experience, nothing is worse than a boyfriend or girlfriend who is always over. While you might love your significant other, your roommates will not appreciate their presence 24/7. Remember: they don’t pay rent or contribute to the household. Respect that your roommates may want to walk around in their under ware while not having to worry about seeing him/her!
• 3. CONTRIBUTE. As much as we all hate taking out the trash, it’s part of being a good roommate. Buying trash bags, soap or toilet paper for a shared bathroom all goes a long way. I know we’re all broke, but pulling your weight will go a long way!
• 4. Respect your roommate’s schedule. While you may not have that Friday morning class, your roommate may. We all have those nights where we stumble in at 3 a.m. laughing or being obnoxiously loud after a function, but make sure that it isn’t a reoccurring thing. Respect that your roommate may have an 8 a.m. class!
• 5. Ask. No matter how big or how little it may be, always ask before using your roommate’s things. Whether it’s a pencil or a Tide pod, asking lets your roommate know that you are respecting his/her stuff. Also, asking before having a group of friends over can give your roommate plenty of time to find another location to study (aka, watch Netflix) without being disturbed.
• 6. Be conservative. Nobody wants a roommate who does 10 loads of laundry every week and leaves on every light in the house. It jacks up the electricity and water price and it’s also terrible for our environment. Limit your shower time and turn off lights behind you. Candles are great alternatives to using lights (plus, they make your room smell awesome)!
• 7. DON’T eat your roommate’s food. This may sound silly now, but this has to be one of the biggest problems that roommates face. College students are broke and so when we buy food, we want to make sure we are the ones eating it. If you’re really craving that cookie, ask your roommate before assuming it’s yours!
• 8.Clean up after your animal. I absolutely love having a dog/cat in the room to hang out with when nobody’s home. However, if you are the one with the pet, make sure you’re cleaning up after them. Sweep up any hair they leave, pick up their toys and make sure to pick up what they leave behind in the back yard… Also, make sure to give your pet exercise daily so that they don’t get bored and chew up anything in the house.

Although this isn’t going to solve all problems you and your roommate(s) may face, it’ll reduce your chances of becoming a bad roommate. Hopefully when classes end in May, you and your roommate(s) will still be living in peace.