First impressions are everything, especially when you are going to be living with someone for an entire school year — or maybe even longer! Your roommate experience can be fantastic or awful, depending on how you handle yourself. Having a positive attitude toward living with someone else is a good place to start, and there are a few other things you can do to ensure a successful living arrangement:

Respect personal space
Some people have strict personal space boundaries, while others do not. You can do whatever you want on your side of the room with your own things, but make sure you give your roommate room to breathe.

Don't be too clingy and dependent on your roommate. Treat this person as your friend, not your parent or child. Make sure to give them time alone if they want to collect their thoughts.

Respect your responsibilities
Keep your room clean, do your laundry, volunteer to do some cooking or shopping, do household chores, and pay your rent on time. These seemingly little things are very important to a strong relationship with your roommate. If you do not do anything for them, why would they do anything for you? Your living space could get very uncomfortable if neither of you ever bother to clean it up. Making a cleaning schedule or delegating household tasks can help you avoid arguments and keep your living space tidy.

Respect your roommate's stuff
For all you know, the sweater you were about to borrow without asking permission could be your roomie's favourite sweater. You wouldn't want someone borrowing your things all the time, especially without asking, so make sure you respect the items your roommate owns. Just because you share a room does not mean you share everything inside it.

Do not ignore problems
If there is tension, fix it right away. Do not let a small issue grow into a bigger problem. A small misunderstanding may be remembered forever if the air is not cleared. Communication is key. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion and talk about your concerns.

Be open with each other
The more you know about this person, the easier it'll be to get along. You don't necessarily have to be best friends, but you should at least try to get to know each other's little quirks. Does she need to be left alone in the morning before her coffee? Does he have late-night hockey training sessions that leave him grumpy and exhausted? Does she need it to be dead silent when she's studying? Knowing these little things about your roommate can help you be more considerate and respectful towards them.

Be respectful with visitors
If you know your roommate has a problem with someone, don't bring that person into your room when your roommate is there. Make sure you openly communicate with your roommate as to when visitors are allowed over — it can be annoying to have a lot of people going in and out of your room all the time. Also, be polite and friendly to the guests your roommate has over. Respect their friendships.

Respect schedules
Even if all of your classes are in the afternoon and you can sleep in every day, you can't keep your roomie up all night. Become familiar with your roommate's school and job schedule so you can work around each other.