Getting Along With Dorm Roommates

From time to time it would be nice if life was a little bit more like a television series. You graduate high school and move to college with your friends. You all end up rooming together or you get a new astonishing roommate who becomes your best friend for life. Unfortunately we live in the real world and it's valuable to have excellent coping skills. Follow these guidelines to avoid tragedy.
Don't make assumptions. This goes for positive and negative assumptions. You may end up having the best roommate or you may just survive living with them. If you put them in one category or another prior to you getting to know them, you run the risk of starting out on the wrong foot.
Possess realistic expectations. You aren't living with your family anymore. Things are going to be different in positive and negative ways. It can be hard to live with anyone. Chances are the person you end up sharing a dorm with isn't going to do things specifically the way you do. They might be messier or neater than you. They may be a social butterfly or a total bookworm who demands a silent dorm. There are many different dorm personalities and you have to be accessible.
Communicate, communicate, and communicate. When there is an issue, talk about it. Make sure you establish an open door policy with your dorm mate. Don't be the irritating person who has to have a sit down, heart to heart for every minor thing, but be real with yourself and your roommate on the factors you can live with or can't make room for. Making sure each of you is aware of the other's expectations goes quite a long way.
Be inclined to compromise. You may want things to be a certain way but if it creates tension you have to ask yourself how crucial the issue is. If you have a test to study for and your roommate just doesn't seem to understand your need for complete silence consider going somewhere else. If you both adopt a spirit of compromise it's a lot easier to solve minor conflicts.
Sharing a dorm in college is a terrific part of the college experience. Think of it as training for future living accomdations. Even the best of friends or people in love can suddenly find themselves reeling when they make the leap to cohabitation. Figuring out how to be a good roommate at college and cope with differences is valuable training that can save heartache and therapy money in the future.