Unless you are super fortunate to afford to live alone, the chances are that you have to find a few housemates to split the costs of rent and utilities. Finding your ideal roommate is a skill in itself, and I overhear people venting about their roommates everywhere: on the bus, in line for coffee and over the stalls of restrooms. It's more common to find a mismatch than match in roomie heaven.

I've had my share of having the worst roommate to the best roommates.

My current roommate is so ideal that the only next option after her is to find a job that pays the big bucks to live alone. The reason it's worked out well for us is that she has the exact opposite schedule from me so we never fight over the restroom. We both travel at different times and we rarely see each other. She is dependable, clean and loves to go out with her friends.

Of course, I wasn't always so lucky. I started out with the worst because I didn't ask the right questions. And what a lesson that was. My first roommate had a pet rabbit that she never cleaned up after and allowed to roam all over the apartment. There were pellets EVERYWHERE. She washed her dishes on a weekly basis. And the topper was she didn't have a computer so she used mine... often. More than I did. I would have to go to her room to get MY computer. It would have been okay if she used it for research or school but after finding half naked pictures of her on MY laptop and random strangers coming over in the middle of the night, I figured it might be a good idea to invest in a lock for my door.

So, to save you some headache and future unnecessary drama, here is a questionnaire that can help you narrow down prospective roommates.

1. What is your cleaning style?
2. Do you cook?
3. Are you an introvert of extrovert?
4. Are you more likely to go out or throw a party at home ?
5. What are your goals right now? Finishing School? Meeting new people?
6. What is your day to day schedule?
7. What do you do for work?
8. Do you smoke or drink?
9. Do you have any rabbits?
10. Do you have your own laptop?

Ideally, you want to shack up with the person who is the closest in common to your lifestyle. Also, it's a good time to evaluate what kind of roommate you've been in the past. But the best advice I can give you is to be open and honest. Communication is the key. Don't be afraid to say that you are a clean freak if you are. Don't be afraid to say you enjoy video games and smoking weed at home. I say put it all out on the table. Good luck because you are going to need it.

Until next time,

Cindy Ha