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With the rise of medical school costs, we highly
recommend that you find a roommate. It will decrease your room and board expenses by as
much as 50%.
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Tips for Finding The Right Roommate |
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For many medical students, with the
high cost of school living, solo is simply out of the
question. |
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So how are you supposed to find a
roommate? Start your search early, because it's
very rare that you find a roommate immediately. It's
going to take time, patience and some careful
screening before you find the stranger with whom
you'll be sharing living space for the immediate
future. |
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First of all, before you even get
started, remember you are not guaranteed instant rapport
and certain compatibility. It can happen but its
rare, but don't discount potential candidates.
They may fall short of being ideal, but could be a
great roommate. It is reasonable to expect neatness, common
courtesy, safe living habits, a willingness to
keep the doors locked and the keys to
himself/herself and timely payment of his/her half
of the rent. If you become friends after those
ground rules have been established and respected,
that is great. If it does not happen, you are still
lucky to have found yourself a good roommate. |
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If you do have a friend with whom you
could consider living, is it wise? The standard
advice is that we should never travel with friends
if we want to remain friends. In some cases, that's
true for roommates, too. Even if you have separate
bedrooms, sharing a common living space (the living
room, kitchen and bathroom, in particular) can be
challenging. You and your friend might be great
friends and while you expect to remain so as
roommates, avoid living together if you can help it. You could
view each other differently once you're sharing an
apartment. In many cases, it's best to live with
someone who was not first a friend. |
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On the other hand that does not mean
you should go grab someone off the street to split
the rent. Instead, start with the local classifieds
section. It's a great place to find leads for
potential roommates. Definitely interview
candidates; never make an offer to live with
someone over the phone, sight unseen. Our
telephone personalities can be very different than
the ones we project in person. When you do start to
interview candidates, have a friend or family member
stay with you for two reasons: the first, for your
own safety; and second, to offer a second
(objective) opinion about your candidates. The
sooner you start scanning the classifieds, the
better. |
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If you decide to place an ad
yourself, set specific times for interested folks to
call. Don't print your name, and if you can help it,
your sex. This doesn't mean your ad has to
be vague or dull.
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Also consider asking friends in the
area if they know anyone who is looking for a
roommate. If you a limited number of
people in the area, scan the
bulletin boards of reputable spots like local
universities, coffee houses, your church or favorite
bookstore. These are all destinations where you stand a
better chance of finding someone who is not only
goal-oriented , but has similar interests, as
well. |
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When showing your place to potential
candidates, be sure that you run down the list of
required utility expenses - even if the candidates
don't ask (and they should). You don't want to offer
someone a position as your roommate, then have them
leave when they discover just how high their share
of the utilities is. Also, if the building in which
you live has any particular quirks - eccentric or
noisy neighbors, a challenging landlord, a problem
with excessive heat in the summertime - be honest
and up front about it. You can counter those
disclosures with positives about your building and
the surrounding neighborhood.
Your most critical job as a
roommate-screener is to listen to your instincts. If
the red flags are waving in your brain about any one
of your candidates - even if you can't put your
finger on the problem - don't make that person an
offer. Our instincts often prove to be our most
valuable tool. They are there for our survival, so be
listening. |
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| Tips for
Getting Along |
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Respect Differences |
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Figuring out how to live with someone
involves respecting differences, sharing, being
courteous, accepting others for who they are and
much more. You'll find that sharing space builds
character.
While you might miss the privacy of
your own home it is also comforting to share company
with others who are experiencing the same issues --
difficult courses, living away from home, balancing
school work and social life and a whole lot more.
In fact, while there are many alternatives for
roommates who don't get along, most do stick it out
and solve their problems by talking through their
difficulties. |
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Keep Talking
Keeping lines of communication open
is essential. Here are some tips for getting off to
a good start: |
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Discuss important issues and
establish rules BEFORE you sign a contract
together.
If you can't study with music on, then come to
an agreement about quiet hours. If he/she likes to
have lots of friends in the room all the time,
and you don't, make a schedule so that you can
both enjoy the room at different times. If your
roommate would rather you didn't study with the
light on when she's trying to sleep, he/she should
tell you. If you make house rules, and
communicate openly and often, you can avoid
unpleasant surprises down the road.
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Be respectful.
Successful roommate relationships are based on
mutual respect. If your roommate doesn't like
anyone borrowing his/her personal items, respect
he/she
wishes. If you don't like music on while you're
studying, he/she should respect your needs, too.
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Be willing to compromise.
You and your roommate may not agree on
everything, but you both have to be willing to
compromise a little bit. If you're a slob and
he/she's a neat freak, you should start cleaning
up, at least in the parts of the room you share.
And he/she should try to be flexible and realize
your unmade bed doesn't affect him/her.
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Be courteous.
Courtesy is contagious. If you behave politely
to your roommate, he/she will likely follow your
lead. Take messages when people call for him/her.
Wish him/her luck on an exam. Ask if you can pick up
something for him/her while you're running errands.
And, don't borrow anything without asking.
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