Choosing The Right Housemates

At a lot of universities you move out of halls at the end of your first year, and into a house for the remainder of your degree. This means leaving the flat that you shared throughout freshers and having to find a house to replace that flat. It also means that you have to make a decision about who you're going to live with. It's pretty scary stuff, but it's also really exciting.

The one thing we haven't worked out yet is how to get a nice photo of all of us.

Here are my dos and donts of second year housemates:

DO live with the same flatmates you had in first year if you all got along. It helps to live with someone that you've lived with before because you know one another's habits and what it is like living with one another. Even if you are bestest friends with someone, or get along with them, you don't know what your relationship with that person will be like when you're actually living with them.

DON'T live with someone you usually spend a lot of time with. If you end up living with someone you spend the majority of your time with you may find that you end up spending too much time with them, and that you don't get enough time for yourself. Although it can be useful to live with a coursemate (you can share books, discuss essays and help one another get up for lectures), you may end up feeling smothered because you cannot ever get away from that person.

DO live with people who you think are financially responsible. Finances and money are a big part of second year life. You may no longer have bills included in your rent, and therefore living with someone who you know will cough up money for bills is relieving. You don't want to be left in a situation where you're out of pocket because of someone else.

DON'T live with your boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other. Even if it's separate rooms. Just don't do it. I shouldn't even have to tell you but if something does happen which means that you are no longer together you will be living a life of misery tip toeing around them... You'll be living with your ex. It's a terrible idea, and your poor housemates will have to tip toe around you both too. Also, don't live with a couple.

DO live with people who have a similar sleeping pattern to you. This may sound weird but it's important. If you are someone who gets up really early and you're living with people who won't want to wake up until later you will have to tip toe around in the morning. Same if you are someone who likes to have really late nights, but your housemates don't share that, you will have to tip toe around at night.

DON'T panic. Don't make any rash decisions about who you're going to live with and end up in a house which isn't exactly ideal. As long as you are proactive and think carefully about whether living with certain people is a good idea or not, you should be fine. Don't rush into anything, think it through.