KRISTA ALBRITTON Contributing Writer

For most people going to college includes living on campus, which means residing in a building with multiple people. Living with other people means that you should brush up on your, “I’m not the only person here” common courtesy. I have had my fair share of bad roommates and upstairs neighbors, so I’m here to tell you what not to do in a dorm setting.

If you are sharing a room with another person, there are so many things you shouldn’t do. If you stay out late and come back at a time when you know your roommate is most likely sleeping, please be a decent person and do not turn on the light. There is a flashlight on your smartphone for a reason, so do your roommate a favor and use it. This also goes for early risers. If your roomie doesn’t wake up for another three hours, don’t go out of your way to make as much noise as possible.

Next would be the state of the room in general. I am speaking from experience when I say not to leave piles of junk and trash lying about. Do you want roaches? Because that’s how you get roaches. You are sharing the room with another person, not a pig. The rooms are a tight enough fit already for two people to be living in; there isn’t enough space for trash. A little mess here and there is OK, but you should try your hardest to keep it neat. Now, when you live above someone, the rules are a little bit different. Believe me, the person or persons below you will not appreciate it if it constantly sounds like a herd of wildebeests have been set loose on the floor above them. Running and jumping around is only mildly excusable if you live on the first floor.

Also, if you look at your clock and it reads, “Hey! Its midnight and people are probably trying to sleep!,” do not take that opportunity to move your furniture or scoot your chairs around. I go through this almost every night and I can honestly say that I have a grudge against someone I don’t even know. I understand that certain people are naturally on the messier or noisier side. I get that, I really do, but there comes a time when you have to buck up and do what needs to be done in order to make living in a residential hall as pleasant as possible.

So, unless you want to be that person who is despised by the person they are living in close quarters with, or the person that causes their downstairs neighbor to be horribly cliché and start banging on the ceiling with a broomstick, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start being a little more thoughtful. Word of advice: don’t be that person.