Dorm life with a roommate will be much different than having your own room at home.
Heading off to college will be one of the most exciting times of your life. You'll meet new people, try new things, and embark on a journey that is all your own. It is encouraged by most colleges and universities that for at least the freshman year, students should live on campus. This practice helps to integrate students into a social setting and provides a few rules to keep residents safe. One aspect of dorm life is living with a roommate. Various checklists will help you and your roommate get along throughout the year.
Chores Checklist
Make a chores checklist with your roommate. Maybe you imagined that chores would go out the window once you got to college. Think again! Keeping your college dorm room clean is just as important as keeping your bedroom at home clean. Why? Respect, that's why! Especially if you do not know the roommate you are living with, it is important that you clean up your space out of respect for the other person. No one wants to step on last night's pizza or have to use a shovel to dig a pathway through clothes to the door. Keep things neat and tidy on a regular basis. Create a chores checklist that determines who cleans and when. Note who will take out the trash, who will vacuum the floor, and who will dust the furniture. When the job is done, mark it off the list.
Privacy Checklist
Living with another person is going to cramp your privacy. Deal with it! There will be very little alone time, so if you are the type of person who needs that, you may want to seek out an alternative place for private time. A good idea is to create a privacy checklist. This won't be your normal kind of checklist. Basically, a privacy checklist is a calendar listing class schedules, special events, etc. Mark down your class schedule and ask your roommate to do the same. Mark down any extracurricular activities you may have. Doing this will let you and you roommate know when the other will be absent from the room. If a plan changes, mark it off the list. In addition to the calendar, also make a list of things you do not want your roommate to touch, move, read, or even do. There is nothing wrong with stating your opinion. If you don't want your roommate in your bed, tell them. If you don't want them to use your hairbrush, tell them. These things may seem like no brainers, but it's better if you cover them before they create hard feelings.
Grocery Checklist
Most college dorms will include, at your expense, a small refrigerator and microwave. While you won't have all the conveniences of home, you will quickly learn to love your "microfridge". It's a good idea to have a few groceries in the room at all times for late-ight snacks, quick breakfasts, and afternoons when you are too lazy to walk to the dining hall. The small space, however, is something you will have to consider. Create a grocery checklist with your roommate. Write down must-have items like milk and your favorite cereal. Have your roommate do the same. Compare lists and see which groceries items are common on each. Agree to purchase those items together. When it's time for one of you to go to the store, place a check mark beside the things you're out of or running low on. Alternate paying for the items.
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