The option to have random roommates is a risky and exciting entrance into college. I've seen some of my friends go through two or three different people before they finally ended up in a single room and then some roommates are perfect matches. I'm far from describing my roommate as a perfect match, but I can guarantee I wouldn't have wanted to live with anybody else this year or next year. Here are the keys to not losing your perfect roommate:

1. Communication

Here we have done nothing but excel. For example, when Emily returned from her 20 day trip to Ireland she walked into the room to find out that I had packed up half it and taken home the: microwave, coffee maker and most of my clothing. Her only response after we screamed and tackled one another was to sadly hold up a fresh pack of Ramen and look at where the microwave used to be.

2. An alternating routine of garbage take-out

After 9 months of constant cohabitation (enough to have a child together), we have succeeded in putting up a wall of stubborn animosity on who has to take out the garbage. For the record, the garbage room is almost on our way to the staircase that we have to go down. Every. Single. Morning. I say this as I look at an over-flowing garbage can two feet away from me that I refuse to take out.

3. A fair cleaning schedule

We have been extremely consistent in our schedule of swiffering and sweeping our room (the total of two times that we did it). The hair on our carpet only piles up every single week and we have continually ignored it. Sidenote, if you shed any blond hair at all, do not buy a dark carpet.

4. Making sure the Brita is always full

After about thirty passive aggressive comments about never having clean water, my beautiful roommate has finally decided to start filling up our Brita filter (that she purchased for the room).

5. Our equal share of groceries

It started with our first Walmart trip on which Emily shouted with confidence, "Garbage bags are for pussies!" Ever since that day we have loyally refused to invest any money into garbage bags and we grew even more when she threatened me with death if I even touched one of her Ferrero Rochers. Occasionally we split the price of popcorn and chips.

6. Washing dishes

After eight months, I have finally decided to hang up an outwardly aggressive sticky note that says, "You use it. You wash it." above all of our clean dishes. Now, every single time somebody reaches for a dish they slowly retract their hand in negative anticipation of having to actually clean something.

7. Buy body wash

Sometimes, if you haven't noticed, Emily and I fail at a few things. One of those things is bathing ourselves. At this point in time, Emily and I have both drained our supply of body wash and we are currently using our hall mate's body wash, now with her knowledge.

8. Clothing ourselves

We have consistently stated, at multiple points, that the first thing that we want to do when we walk into our room is take off our pants. Nothing sexual, but let's all be honest, wearing pants is just awful. Every person in our hall has seen our butt cheeks at least fifty times.

9. Decorating our room

We came in with high hopes, just like every single college freshmen who wants the perfect boho themed room. We succeeded in our tapestries covering the walls, and lights on the ceiling, but fell slightly short at the laminated cock (male chicken) that now hangs on our wall.

10. Never getting a noise complaint

We were nearly successful until we got to the week before spring break when our wonderful RA informed us that we had actually received close to five noise complaints throughout the last week. Apparently our neighboring residents thought that going to sleep at midnight on a weekday was reasonable. Weird, right?

After all of this, I can guarantee that I love Emily Dent. There is not another person that I wanted to cuddle and cry with at 2:00 a.m. She made my freshman year fantastic and spontaneous and I will always appreciate her.