As the spring semester approaches and preparations begin for the next academic year, it is time to pick a room and a roommate (and classes, but more on that later). If this year was comfortable living with the current roommate, perhaps the best choice is to live with the same person next year. If the year wasn't as smooth as you had hoped for, it might be time to change it up a little.
Dorm room choices
Think about this year's room accommodations. Were you in a double, triple, forced triple or a suite? First of all, if you were happy with your living arrangements, stick with more of the same. Why change what works?
Doubles are the most traditional living quarters in a college dorm. Alternative living arrangements are usually forced, as in a forced triple, or the specific choice of the student.
If a triple room arrangement has been overwhelming, first analyze why. Was it the over stimulation of three people in a cramped space or just the crowded quarters? Think about living in a double instead, if it fits into your education budget. A double is a little pricier than a triple room arrangement.
Need more activity in you room? Do you have a group of friends who want to be suite mates? Think about a suite style room where there is a common room. It is a nice place to congregate.
The perfect roommate
Remember, your roommate does not need to be your best friend. You just need to be able to cohabitate with this person, not be best friends.
Is there someone you have befriended along the way this year? Now, instead of being blindly matched with a roommate, you have the choice of whom you live with. Find someone who shares the same living standards as you. Be sure they are on a similar schedule as you, night owls and early risers do not cohabitate well.
Talk it through
Before heading home for the summer (usually the beginning of May!), work out the details of who brings what back to school in the fall. Just think, in a perfect world, if you bought the refrigerator and chairs this year and your roommate bought the TV and rug, your room for next year is almost furnished already.
Analyze your living arrangements this year before you make any firm plans for the next academic year. Be prepared, the room lottery will be here before you know it.
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