OF ALL THE ANXIETIES of a college freshman, the new roommate is of the utmost concern. Some people luck out, while others wonder if things could possibly get any worse.

I suppose I was one of the lucky ones my freshman year. I ended up with a great roommate who was so different from me that it worked out perfectly. However, this was not the case for all. About seven doors down were two girls who, by the end of the first quarter, had both called campus safety on each other, claiming that one had stolen something from the other.

Living in a small, confined space resembling a cubicle, it is difficult for many freshmen, but not just freshmen experience roommate issues. Problems can get worse when students move into a house or apartment that requires them to clean on a regular basis, contribute to the grocery list, and worst of all, pay bills on time. At times it feels like divine intervention is the only way to motivate lazy roommates. At these times you question your ability to judge character.

The horror stories are endless.

Coming home from a late night of work only to find an entire bottle of red wine spilled all over the white kitchen countertop would not make anyone happy, especially when it was still not cleaned up the next morning.

Sometimes students strategically place multiple garbage bags in front of a roommate’s door to hint that, perhaps, it was their turn to take out the trash, only to find that a pathway was paved through the bags the next day. There are many more of these kinds of roommates in the world.

But keep in mind: as long as roommates try to talk out their problems and set up some ground rules they both agree on, a good starting point can be reached. And if you are lucky enough to get a roommate who respects your space, remember, you’re luckier than most other students out there.