Tips For Picking A Roommate

That time in every male’s life where he must leave home and “spread his wings”.

Gone are the days of toasty laundry, warm breakfast to-go and the occasional $20 bill mysteriously placed in our back pocket.

Now, we begin to worry about bills, our next meal, a 6-pack of beer, and a pack of condoms for the night ahead.

But there’s one other thing you have to worry about.

A roommate.

Thankfully, we at CAVE have provided the framework for finding a roommate you can not only tolerate, but actually enjoy.

Trust us, this was written with 11 years of roommate experience (boarding school since age 12).

1. Great friends do not equal great roommates

We see it all the time. Best of friends living together and enjoying life, right?

Wrong.

Although it’s great socially, the expectation that best friends equal great roommates is generally inaccurate. Often times, you discover too much about your friend (ie. his rotation of drunk and clumsy women, or he uses ten eggs too many (because hey, there are no boundaries between great friends, right?).

It’s best to find someone with similar interests and lifestyle patterns. A barrier between roommates is often a healthy thing.

2. Lifestyle

I once had a roommate that partied until 7:00 am every Thursday-Sunday. While I clearly did not appreciate his approach (did I mention I was a varsity athlete?), there’s no reasoning with a drunk person. In fact, he genuinely didn’t remember our conversations the next morning.

Make sure you and your potential roommate lead similar lifestyles. Do you both party until the early morning? Or, would you rather stay in with your girl and relax by the couch? If there’s conflict in your lifestyles, they won’t co-exist for long.

3. Baggage

Careful of roommates with baggage.

Whether it’s money owed to someone (which might lead to unpaid rent – covered by you), a drug issue, or an ex-girlfriend, these are all factors which should be considered before making someone a roommate.

Imagine coming home to your roommate and his girlfriend daily. Would you still feel like it was your apartment? Would you be uncomfortable?

4. Food

Are you going to share from a joint pool? Or, is one of you going to mooch off the other?

There’s nothing worse than craving something in the fridge and coming home to find it all over the kitchen sink.

Ultimately,  you’ll discover there is a perfect roommate for everybody.  But be patient. As the infamous saying goes, “you must slay some dragons, to find your princess… roommate”.

Written by CAVE Contributor Henry Chang.

If you liked this, check out How To Wrap A Gift For Your Roommate.