If you ask me, everything was simpler in college. You had a set schedule, nobody judged you for being broke, and some of the most difficult life decisions were made for you. Particularly, choosing a roommate. In most cases, you were either assigned one through some randomized lottery or you and a friend grew close enough over the semester and telepathically agreed to cohabitate.
The ease of my college roommate selection leaned more towards the latter and appeared to be a luxury at the time, but in retrospect, it served to be a bit of an enabler in my overall development as a budding adult. You see, when I moved into my first apartment in Brooklyn, I was so eager to be out on my own and away from my small town that I didn't think twice about who I would be living with. In fact, the whole process happened so miraculously that I didn't bat an eye when my blogger-friend turned roommate reached out to me about a sudden opening in their place. I thought, "This has to be God!" But nicely put, I was in for quite an interesting experience.
No one's really to blame for my lack of preparation of what to look for and look out for in a potential roommate arrangement, as much of life's lessons come through trial, error, and Sunday afternoon discussions on who left the hair in the bathtub – ahh, the memories.
If only there was some kind of online course or app to assist in this painful process, but for now, you have me! Knowing how compatible you are with your potential roommate(s) is one of the biggest ways to avoid conflict and high stress levels in the place you all call home. Before you sign on a dotted line or wire a deposit, here are a few things to consider:
1.Test the Waters.
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Much like dating, you want to make sure that you and your roomie(s) are as compatible as possible. Now, although you can't go on a series of dates with one another – because that's expensive, you can opt for a chemistry test. Compile a list of questions that surround each other's lifestyles.
Are they a loner or social butterfly? 420 friendly? Are you dealing with a night owl or early bird? And most importantly, what are their cleaning habits? Having an open and honest foundation provides you with the freedom to decide if this is something you want to get into or if this is your chance to hit to road.
Featured image by Getty Images.