Living with a new room-mate in university is a big adjustment for a freshman. The fundamentals of basic etiquette go a long way in fostering an easygoing atmosphere of respect and harmony between you and your new room-mate. For many students, the following tips may seem like common sense; however, many students have never experienced the need to modify their behavior in order to share a living space with another person.

Care must be taken to ensure that privacy is respected. The idea of privacy when sharing a dorm room is multi-faceted and includes personal space, modesty, and the personal life of the occupant. It is never okay to go through your room-mate’s things, or to borrow their possessions without permission.

You must also keep in mind that many people are uncomfortable with the idea of changing in front of someone they hardly know. Depending on your room-mate’s level of comfortability with their nudity, you should avert your eyes elsewhere or leave the room while they are changing.

It can be very hard to keep personal matters personal when you practically live in an enclosed area with someone else. If your room-mate is having a difficult conversation or an argument over the phone, take that as a cue to go for a ‘walk’ and exit the room to give them a little privacy.

Sleeping schedules vary widely between college students. Chances are you and your room-mate will not be going to bed at the same time every night. If you are studying or working on a project late at night, try to work in a computer lab or lounge area in your dormitory. If you need to wake up much earlier than your room-mate, try to keep noise to a minimum. Try not to hit snooze on your alarm clock more than twice since you might inadvertently wake up your room-mate every time it goes off.

Don’t invite a bunch of friends back to your room without first clearing it with your room-mate. He or she may have an important exam to study for, or might be embarrassed about other people seeing their mess or possessions that they may have left out in the open. The same goes for overnight guests. You and your room-mate need to come up with a fair policy to deal with it before it becomes an issue.

Following these simple rules of etiquette could mean the difference between becoming best friends with your room-mate, and needing to request for a room change in the middle of the semester.