With college starting soon, we wanted to provide our students with helpful information to set them up for success. The following article is from USA Today College and asks questions you should ask of your new roommate:

Here are a few questions you should ask a potential roommate so you don’t end up living a nightmare:

1. WHICH CHORES DON’T YOU MIND DOING?

Directly asking a potential roomie how often they clean leaves some room for fabrication, so a better approach might be to ask them which chores they hate the least. Then, you can compromise, and while you’re sweeping your shared room one week, they’ll be cleaning out the bathroom sink!

2. DO YOU SMOKE?

If you’re living in the dorms on-campus, smoking probably won’t be your biggest issue as the majority of campuses have a strict policy against smoking indoors. But the last thing you want is to run into a conflict where your RA is reporting your room after suspecting someone was smoking in there. If you learn your potential roomie does smoke, make sure you come to agreeable terms in advance. If you’re staying in an apartment, figure out the apartment’s smoking policies and go from there.

3. WHAT TIME DO YOU USUALLY GO TO BED?

After a long night of studying, the last thing you want is to come back to your dorm to find your roommate watching a movie without headphones until 2 a.m. On the other hand, living in the dark is no fun for anyone. If you know you typically stay up a little later to finish your work, it might not be wise to room with someone who goes to sleep at 10 p.m. on the dot every night!

4. WHAT TIME DO YOU USUALLY WAKE UP?

Try to compare your schedules for the semester in advance. Conflicting schedules are a recipe for friction between roommates and being jolted awake by the sound of a blow dryer at 7 a.m. is no fun for anyone.

5. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT OVERNIGHT GUESTS?

Proposing this question in this format is ideal because it gives you a chance to hear your roommate’s response first. Keep in mind you are sharing a living space and no one wants to feel uncomfortable in his or her own room. Be courteous to your roommate when it comes to having overnight guests.

6.DO YOU LIKE THE ROOM WARMER OR COLDER?

This might seem like a no-brainer, but it won’t be when you wake up at 3 a.m. freezing after your roomie lowered the thermostat by three degrees… again.

7. WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE?

It’s beneficial to learn what your roommate isn’t fond of in advance, especially if that pet peeve is something you do every day.

For the full article: here