Roommate etiquette 101

After the comfort of being well-fed and well-kempt at your parents’ house you return to an empty fridge and cupboards, a sink full of dishes and an overflowing garbage can. Living with roommates can be tough, but it’s necessary for most college students. Here are some dos and don’ts for survival until you can afford to pay your own rent.

• Do clean up after yourself, especially your dishes.
• Do avoid loud music, friends, pets and other sources of annoyance.
• Do attempt to be civil during and after an argument.
• Do respect personal space, especially the bathroom countertop.
• Do have enough rent money—preferably by or around the first of the month.
• Don’t use the other person’s stuff without asking.
• Don’t get into the shower five minutes before your roommate needs it in the morning.
• Don’t delete phone messages or throw away/shred their mail.
• Don’t pretend to know their secrets and spread them or gossip.
• Don’t insist every light and appliance in the house stay on if you’re staying up late.

Source: http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com

Brain Freeze

The average college graduate has about $20,000 of student debt.