While you are in college you have some control over who you live with, but unfortunately you can’t control who lives around you. Whether you live in a dorm or an apartment complex, neighbors can often times become the best or sometimes the worst thing that ever happened to you. Here are some tips on how to be a good neighbor versus a bad neighbor.

Tip #1 – Volume matters.

If you are going to be talking loudly on the phone or listening to music, do not leave your door open. A good neighbor would think about how paper-thin the walls already are. There is no reason to let the sound travel even faster.

Tip #2 – Use the rec center.

A good neighbor will understand the rec center is a valuable place to work out. A bad neighbor uses their room as their own personal rec room. Some students have even been known to constantly hear balls being dribbled and people running.

Tip #3 – The bathroom is just a bathroom.

Bathrooms are not the place to hang out and it is certainly not your own space in a dorm. Community bathrooms are not ideal by any means. It’s worse when your neighbors think that the showers and mirrors belong to them. To be a good floor member, do not leave your shower caddy in the showers or hair products and makeup on the counter. Do what you need to do in the bathroom and leave. Do not hang around giggling and laughing as if the space is your own.

Tip #4 – Respect the lounge.

The lounge on your floor is a place for studying and socializing at a respectable level. A good neighbor would respect the area and use it to study and hang out with friends. Bad neighbors abuse the privilege of a lounge and loudly disturb the area and leave their belongings sitting around.

Jenna Cusumano is an NSCS member from Springfield, Illinois studying at Illinois State University. She is a sophomore majoring in Journalism with a minor in Cinema Studies. Follow Jenna on Twitter @Jcus2010.