It's that time of year again, the time when UW-Madison students dart around to every apartment complex in Madison and lose sleep over who to room with rather than how midterms are going. But amid the ensuing panic, it is important to take a deep breath and calmly approach the matter at hand: how to go about choosing the right roommate(s) and place to live.
First things first: there is plenty of time. Although apartment leases may be signed as early as mid-November, this does not mean availability will disappear within two weeks.
Bruce A. Martin, director of operations for JSM Properties, LLC, 101 N. Mills St., said while the majority of leases are signed by the end of first semester, JSM continues to sign them through the end of February.
For students currently living in the university residence halls who are not planning on moving out next year, there is even more time to relax, as contracts do not need to be signed until mid-February and roommates chosen until March.
According to former UW-Madison house fellow Richard Greenlee, this extra time highly benefits students, as it allows them to get to know potential roommates better.
'My biggest piece of advice to freshmen ?? is to wait until after winter break to decide??who you are going to room with,' he said. 'Often times friends change over the??course of a semester, and the friends that you have in October are not the??same friends that you have in April.??Wait as long as you can to decide who you want to live with.'
A UW-Madison sophomore, called Jody for the sake of anonymity, agrees.
'I would say you can probably find leases until January and still get a decent place,' she said. 'Even a month makes such a difference.'
Although personality and friendship can be key aspects in a potential roommate, compatibility cannot occur based on those aspects alone. As time passes and students become frantic in their housing and roommate hunt, it is often easy to skip over the more important factors of lifestyle compatibility. Choosing to live with friends you have fun with does not guarantee an entirely fun-filled experience'living with others involves much more.
According to articles on About.com and eCampusTours.com, honestly considering the following five areas can indicate whether the year ahead will be a success or a miserable failure.
Cleanliness/Messiness
It may not seem like a big deal before the fact, but disagreement in this area can escalate into much unwanted tension. Problems often stem from a lack of shared responsibility in household chores.
Dividing up duties and coming to a consensus about expectations for cleanliness from the start can often help avoid conflict down the road.
Early Bird/Night Owl
Ideally, the sleeping habits of roommates should be generally the same. This becomes particularly important when bedrooms, not just apartments or houses, are shared. Making sure roommates share similar sleeping schedules can be key to ensuring that no one suffers from lack of sleep. In addition, consensus over particular nighttime environments can be critical. For instance, preferences for things like falling asleep with a TV or music in the background, the window open or a light on may not always be shared by all roommates.
Finances
Quite possibly one of the most important considerations in choosing roommates: making sure everyone can be counted on to take care of the bills'and on time! Not only that, but making sure all can agree on what constitutes as a reasonable price range for monthly rent and trying to avoid lending and borrowing with each other can be equally important. With roommates, money can often be the root of all evil.
Sharing
Although you may be completely in favor of communal food, clothes and everything else in the house, beware that your roommates may not.
Whether you are possessive of your things or believe in this sort of community-of-sharing can be another very important consideration in picking future roommates. In this case, it's probably best not to wait until after you borrow your roommate's things to find out.
Parties/No Parties
Especially at a school like UW-Madison, it is vital to discuss opinions on the issues of hosting parties and housing overnight guests before diving into a new living arrangement. Inconsistencies here may add up to some unfortunate Friday night's down the road. If there are differences, be sure it is possible to reach a certain level of compromise and respect for each other's stances.
'Really get to know people in your dorms,' Jody said. 'You want people that think the same way you do. You may feel funny asking them, 'are you messy or not,' but just do it.'
Once you have made your decision, either regrettably or happily, there is also a lot that can be done throughout the following school year to maintain a positive living environment.
In her article 'College Roommate Personality Clashes: How to Survive' on buzzle.com, Susan Fee suggests keeping lines of communication open. Writing a contract of agreements at the start of the semester about issues like guests, bedtimes and cleanliness'a measure practiced in University Housing'may help set a foundation of expectations for the year to come. Fee also says people must be willing to compromise when unexpected situations occur.
The College Board offers similar advice to students: 'Figuring out how to live with someone involves respecting differences, sharing, being courteous, accepting others for who they are and much more.'
'It's hard,' Jody said. 'But there is hope if you're really willing to make an effort.'
As you finish this article and set down this paper, don't rush to evaluate your friends, floormates or current roommates on the above guidelines. Instead, take another deep breath and remember: you have plenty of time. Happy hunting!
