Your roommates can make or break your college experience. Having a positive relationship with the people you live with can make your dorm or apartment really feel like home. It's a safe and welcoming environment where you can always count on laughter and support.

On the other hand, it can feel lonely and isolating when you don't have a connection with the people you share an apartment with in college. Instead of a home, your dorm feels like the temporary space where you go to sleep at night, and nothing more. Sometimes, you might not get along with your roommates and that's okay. Everyone is getting used to living without their parents and not everyone is mature enough to handle living on their own and being respectful and responsible.

You don't have to be BFFs with your roommates to have a good college experience. But the difference between being amicable and friendly with the people you live with versus just co-inhabiting can have a huge impact on your life.

Being open with your roommates about expectations and your feelings as you figure out living together and managing your life is important for starting that positive relationship. Being able to bring up and communicate concerns helps prevent everyone from resenting one another. Your roommates do care about you and your feelings, but they are not mind-readers. Being straight-forward, honest, and open when you communicate with your new roomies can ensure you have a great year!

It also takes two to tango. It isn't enough to voice your complaints. You should also ask your roommates and listen to them to make sure all of you are on the same page. If you ask your roomie to take out the trash and they ask you to wash your dishes, make sure you do your part. When you show your roommate you respect them and their space, they're more likely going to show you that same respect.

If you're fortunate to have roommates like mine, we not only respect one another but we go out of our way to help one another. We oftentimes wash each other's dishes, offer to get each other groceries, cook and share food, and show each other support by always lending a listening ear. I know that if I ever needed help in an emergency I can count on my roommates to be there for me. Life is hard. College is harder. But when your roomies are there to help you, make things a little easier, and share some ice cream, things don't seem so hard anymore.

I love staying up late listening to ABBA remixes, throwing parties, and spilling the tea with my funny, fabulous, and delightful roommates. The beautiful ladies I live with today are some of the most kind-hearted and wholesome people I know. We build each other up and the community we have is something everyone yearns for in college. I hope that everyone has that opportunity to find that kind of community. You only get to have college roommates once in your life, and it can be one of the best parts of your college experience if you go in with an open mind and open heart.