By Amy Gagnon

Whether it is living in one of Suffolk’s residence halls or an off-campus apartment, living with roommates is something most college students will have to deal with and every roommate situation is different. In my case, I live with three other girls in one room. I had to learn how to be happy and comfortable in my living arrangement, and I had to learn fast.

As a freshman, it can be difficult trying to get used to living with other people.

Depending on whether you can accommodate each other’s needs and habits will determine the outcome of your time together.

The first thing my roommates and I did after moving in was set boundaries. I believe this is a vital step in living with roommates.

Whether they are strangers or not, it is important to set such restrictions and lay them out to your roommates because without them, there is a big question in what is available to you and what isn’t. The easiest way to avoid that confusion is to set the rules straight from the beginning.

Something I learned is that one of my roommates likes to shower at 3 a.m. while another prefers to shower at 7 a.m. And, while I like the temperature in our room to fall below freezing, another one of my roommate likes it piping hot. Making these observations allowed the four of us to fill out our roommate agreement forms and describe what is okay and not okay, a requirement from Suffolk’s Residence Life and Housing department.

I feel that residence life at any college is essential for a freshman, because without it, I don’t believe you are gaining the full college experience. . Although it can be scary at first living with people you’ve never met before, it can be a beneficial experience.

Fortunately, my roommates and I discussed these questions and reached a consensus on what works best for us, allowing us to agree on overhead lights off after midnight and figuring out a guest policy that works for all of us.

Many of these questions can be discussed, which is what ended up happening in our group. Although the task was tedious and did take up much more time than it had to, I understand the importance of it.

I would think all roommates in Suffolk’s dorms go through these questions about each other’s preferences, and just getting your needs out in the open is the easiest thing to do.

It lessens the chances of an argument happening, and if one does come up, you can bring up what all roommates agreed on, and this will help diffuse the dispute.