off-campus finances among roommate -- suggestions?

Marian
Thu, 14 May 2009 19:54:55 +0000

I STRONGLY suggest you have them all sit down and discuss roommate potential issues and how they would handle it:
some one gets drunk & barfs every weekend
some one has too much overnight company (girl or boy)
some one NEVER cleans the kitchen/bathroom/dishes
some one leaves the lights on
some one cranks up the heat
some one becomes a druggy
some one spends all their time with their BF and no longer wants to pay rent or wants to pay less or won’t share utilities



I strongly suggest not sharing an apartment with anyone whom you would need to ask these questions (except about the lights and heat, which are usually just a matter of being oblivious to the cost).

I can’t imagine my daughter having to ask these questions of the two people with whom she is going to share an apartment next year. The three of them know each other well. They have spent extensive time together over the past two years at college, and two of the three knew each other in high school as well. All three trust each other, and the trust is justified.

I think that if a student is in a position where he or she needs to room with near-strangers, it is far better to do it in the dorms, where you can switch rooms fairly easily if things don’t go well. Off-campus apartments are best shared by people who already know each other.