If one lives on campus then the chances are he or she will be spending at least 12 or more hours a day at a residence hall. 

There may be one or two “unlucky’’ students who scored their own dorm room to themselves, but the majority of students here at Allen Community College do have to live with another or maybe even a group of other students. There are systems in place to keep the peace as much as possible, but at the end of the day the patrons of the dorms are expected to act like adults and deal with living situations as such.

Following are some tips on how to get along with your roommates. 

• Sacrifice is necessary. 

When a student moves in with another person or even multiple roommates, there is a much higher chance than not of having conflicting lifestyles. This isn’t a bad thing; this just means he or she will have to sacrifice some day-to-day things. 

No one should have to sacrifice anything that is necessary to one’s health, but, for example, if one person stays up all hours of the night playing video games, that student might need to shut it down earlier so his or her roommate can sleep. 

• Defuse drama. 

It is important to defuse any situation with as little drama as possible. One may love drama and want to propagate it, but in the long run this will hurt that person and others. It is much better in the long run to “lose’’ an argument and keep the relationship than “win the battle but lose the war,” or risk long-term tensions or even a split. 

Maybe someone did leave the dirty dishes in the sink, but instead of raising the situation to an argument that will sour the relationship and create a rift that grows a little every argument, just take five minutes to do the dishes and take one for the team. 

• Remember you will only be with them for a year. 

Students will only be living with their roommates for one school year, so it shouldn’t be that hard to tough it out. Even if someone thinks he or she is in the worst situation possible, that student likely can power through it for a year. 

There are ways around it like spending less time at your dorm and more time in the Student Center or other friends’ rooms. If worse comes to worse and someone absolutely can’t handle it, then it is time to get a new roommate, but that seems like a big hassle. It’s probably just best to communicate and keep the peace. 

Allen Flame friends, photo at top, Quinton Weld, Brayden Barnes, Brianna Brady and Allison Smith re-enact an iconic scene from the television series “Friends,” above.