Going to college means there are a lot of new things coming: lectures, greek life, moving to a new place, but sometimes the most scary part is the idea of living and coexisting with another person. If you’re a little scared, here’s a list of things to do in order to not only ensure peace, but also enjoy living with your roommate.

1. Decide on chores ahead of time. Make it perfectly clear who’s cleaning what and went. It’s much easier to study in a clean and organized environment.
2. Decide when guests will be allowed in the room. If you don’t want people in the room late at night, make sure that’s stated and agreed upon before you get there.
3. Decide what is going to be shareable and what’s off limits. These boundaries need to be set to counteract future arguments.
4. While you may be able to avoid future arguments through these agreements you’re making, it’s inevitable that there will eventually be some butting heads during the course of the year. Talk to your roommate ahead of time about the best way to bring up problems with them. Whether they prefer face to face or over text confrontation can be a big deal.
5. Talk to your roommate about how you want to decorate your dorm. Maybe pick a color scheme and go from there. An aesthetically pleasing room will make you feel much more at home.
6. Write out your roommate agreement so neither of you can back out of everything.