Sharing Apartment

There are lots of things you are forced to share in college: a teeny tiny living space, a bathroom, and pretty much every place you go on campus that's outside of your residence hall or apartment building. When it comes to sharing with a roommate, then, it's understandable that many students want to keep certain things as their own, as splitting things can often seem like more of a hassle than a benefit.

There are a few things, however, that can actually be smart to share. You can save yourself time, space, money, and energy if you figure out what and how to share with your roommate in a way that is beneficial for both of you. And while the following items can work for most roommates in most situations, consider adding or subtracting items to better meet the needs of your individual roommate dynamics.

A printer and printer paper. Given that most papers, labs, etc., are turned in electronically these days (papers sent via email, presentations given via jump drives), you may not even need a printer and printer paper -- much less two sets of them. In addition to taking up a lot of desk space, a printer and printer paper can often be found in computer labs across campus. If you feel like you need to bring a printer and paper, check with your roommate to make sure he or she doesn't do the same.

A source for playing music. Chances are your roommate and you both have your own music collections on a laptop, iPod or iPad, smartphone, etc. For those Saturday afternoons when you really want to crank it up, however, you can easily share some kind of speaker system. After all, it's practically impossible for you both to be using a speaker for your music at the same time -- which means that you'll only need one for the room.

A mini fridge. Rooms in a campus residence hall or nearby apartment building are notoriously small. And even the smallest of refrigerators takes up a chunk of space. Consequently, having two small fridges in a shared room will make a room feel