Have you ever shared a room with someone? For some students, living with a roommate will be a new experience. For our on-campus students, sharing a room with someone will, to some extent, be sharing in each other's lives throughout the time you live together.

Your roommate grew up in a different family from yours, probably was educated in a different school, likely formed a different set of friends, and likely has a set of values, beliefs, opinions, and habits different from your own. While roommates do not have to be close friends or share in every aspect of each other's lives, they do have to live together and share in many aspects of college life.

The best way for you and your roommate(s) to get to know each other and to avoid unintentional conflicts is to talk about your likes, dislikes, sensitivities, and attitudes with each other in order to work out a living environment that is mutually agreeable. Because most of us often overlook our habits, behaviors, and attitudes that may be cause of aggravation to others, the following topics below are provided to assist you and your roommate(s) in exploring each other's backgrounds, goals, motivations, and lifestyles.

It may be awkward at first, but we encourage you to sit down together and to begin discussing these topics. This will hopefully provide a framework for you to develop the patterns of cooperation, communication, and mutual trust that will make your room an enjoyable and comfortable place to live. Your RA is available to assist you in getting to know your roommate(s) and to facilitate your completion of a roommate agreement.

Contacting roommate(s) prior to arriving on campus in the Fall can help eliminate any later hassles that might result from bringing multiple stereos, televisions, or other items to the limited space of a residential hall room. It's also a good way to break the ice with someone before inadvertently trampling on a sensitive issue.