If you're like many students, college will be the first time you share your living space with someone other than family. This new experience can be both fun and challenging.

如果你和大多数学生一样，大学将会是你第一次与家人以外的人分享生活空间。这种新体验既有趣又富有挑战性。

The Benefits and the Challenges

益处和挑战

Here are some of the things you can expect:

以下是可以预见的事情：

• Company: Your roommate is new to college too, so you can learn how to navigate campus life together.
• Support: It's nice to have someone who can wake you when you sleep through your alarm or bring you soup when you're sick.
• New perspectives: Your roommate might introduce you to a different culture or new points of view.
• Shared activities and interests: You may have a roommate who likes to do the same things as you.
• Lack of privacy: You may not have the privacy you're used to and may have to seek out places - like the library - to get it.
• Lifestyle differences: If your roommate's habits, personality or schedule are very different from yours, it can be hard to adjust to living together.

• 陪伴：你的室友也是大学新生，你们可以一起学习如何度过校园生活。
• 支持：睡过头有人把你叫醒，生病时有人给你带汤，总归是乐事一桩。
• 新视角：你的室友可能会向你介绍不同的文化或新观点。
• 共同的活动和兴趣：你可能有一个趣味相投的室友。
• 缺乏隐私：你习以为常的隐私可能不复存在，可能不得不另找私人空间，比如图书馆。
• 生活方式的差异：如果你与室友的习惯、性格或日程安排大相径庭，你们可能很难适应共同生活。

Strategies for Success

成功的策略

Communicating often and openly is essential for any successful relationship. If you need help discussing something with your roommate, take advantage of the resources your college provides. Talking to your resident advisor (RA) is a good starting point. Here are some other tips for maintaining a good relationship with your roommate.

在任何一段成功的关系中，经常开诚布公的沟通都是至关重要的。如果你需要别人帮助来和室友讨论事情，可以利用大学提供的资源，和宿舍舍监交谈是一个很好的开始。以下是如何与室友保持良好关系的小贴士。

Make rules and respect them: A strategy that worked for Alicia, a college freshman, was coming to an agreement with her roommate early in the year that set the boundaries for how they would live together. For example, she and her roommate agreed that if one of them is trying to study, the other won't blare music or will record TV shows to watch later. After you agree on guidelines, respect them.

制定并尊重规则：这个策略对艾丽西亚来说很有效，她是一名大一新生，在年初与室友达成协议，为她们如何共同生活设定了界限。例如，她和室友达成一致，如果她们中有人想学习，另一个人就不会播放音乐，或者录制电视节目以后再看。双方就行为准则达成一致后，尊重规则。

Compromise: You and your roommate won't agree on everything, so you'll both have to make some compromises. For instance, if one of you is messy and the other likes things neat, the untidy one should keep the shared areas of the room clean. And the neat one should overlook untidiness in the roommate's area.

妥协：你和室友不可能在所有事情上都达成一致，所以双方都必须做出妥协。例如，如果一个人邋遢，另一个人爱干净，邋遢的人应该保持房间的共享区域整洁干净，而爱干净的人应该忽略室友区域的杂乱。

Show courtesy: If you behave politely to your roommate, your roommate is likely to follow your lead. Wish your roommate luck on an exam. Ask if you can pick up something while you're running errands. As Axel, a college freshman, says, “When you have to deal with someone every day, … it’s important to stay on good terms.” His advice is to try to make your roommate happy that he or she wound up with you.

礼貌：如果你对待室友礼貌友好，室友也很可能礼待你。祝室友考试顺利。办事时问室友是否需要帮忙带东西。正如大学新生阿克塞尔所说，“如果每天都要和某个人打交道，……保持良好的关系是很重要的。”他的建议是尽力让室友为你们能成为室友而高兴。

Living harmoniously with someone requires communicating, compromising and respecting differences. And mastering these life skills may be the most valuable lessons you’ll learn outside the classroom. As Jessica, a college sophomore, puts it, sharing a space can make you “a new and more open person, and you learn about yourself in the process.”

与人和谐相处需要沟通、妥协、尊重差异。掌握这些生活技能可能是你在课堂之外学到的最有价值的课程。正如大二学生杰西卡所说，分享空间可以让你成为“一个全新的自己、一个更开放的人，在这个过程中你也会更好地了解自己。”