If you're looking for a roommate, this is the post for you.
What you’re looking for in a roommate solely depends on how you live and what you like, so trust your judgment when it comes to finding a new living partner! You don’t want to be locked in a miserable lease for 10-12 months.
Here are five different ways you can vet a new roommate so you know they’re right for you!
1. Visit Them At Their Current Abode
Take a short trip to visit them where they currently live, whether it be their apartment or at their home (if they live near you). You can figure out a lot about a person by seeing how they live and whether or not it’s similar to how you live.
If you’re both neat freaks, then it might work out! If they’re a mess, then you might be better off finding someone more similar to you.
2. Figure Out Their Schedule
Sometimes it doesn’t matter if you and your roommate have completely opposite schedules because you’re able to work around each other.
But if you’re a morning person and an 8 a.m. class is ideal for you, whereas your roommate is a night owl and prefers an 8 p.m. class, that might not bode well for either of you. You’ll constantly be waking each other up at odd times and making each other mad.
However, if your schedules are too similar, that can also be a problem. With only one bathroom and 2-4 people all wanting to shower at once, that can be a HUGE problem. Try to find someone who can complement you rather than match you 110 percent.
3. Spend Time With Them Academically and Recreationally
Not only will you be living with your roommate, you’ll probably also be studying with them. It’s important to make sure that you can both have fun with your roommate as well as get work done (because that’s what college is all about!).
If you like doing the same things to have fun, but absolutely can’t study together, you may want to rethink whether or not you can live in the same space.
4. See Whether Your Personalities Mesh Well
This may sound slightly redundant, but it’s essential to make sure that you and your potential new roommate like the same things and have the same interests (or at least some that overlap).
If you have the same sense of humor or like to spend your free time doing similar things, that’s always ideal. It makes it much easier to agree on movies to watch or places to eat. It’s not all about cleanliness or how they decorate their room, but it’s important to see that you can work together and not impose on each other.
5. Ask Them What They Want
You may be so focused on seeing what you want in a roommate that you forget that they’re a person too, and they’re probably applying these same strategies to you.
Have a conversation with them and ask what they’d like in a new roommate, and if it’s anything like the stuff you want, then you’re golden!
