It’s that time of year to choose one of the most important aspects of college life — where to live. For many upperclassmen, that means confirming leases on apartments. For most freshmen, that means choosing whether to stay in their current community or move to a different one. A social corridor or a six-person suite? Newing College’s renovated dorms or the older traditions of College-in-the-Woods?

Yet the most significant choice you’ll have to make isn’t about where you live, but who you live with. Before college started, you were advised not to live with your best friend. Does that still apply? It depends.

Melissa Chin, a freshman majoring in management, thinks that living with someone you get along with — not necessarily your best friend — is the key.

“Coming into school, I went random, but I knew I wanted a roommate who was neat, clean and friendly,” Chin said. “She is. We’re not best friends, but we always get along. It’s great because I don’t have to deal with any outside friendship drama in the room.”

A possible benefit of going this route is fewer arguments. You can also schedule time to have the room to yourself without feeling like you’re pushing your friend away, and vice versa.

Professor Al Vos has observed the ups and downs of roommate outcomes during his time as faculty master of Hinman College.

“The fact that at home most students have a room of their own means that having a roommate in college is a real cultural shock,” Vos said. “Unfortunately, roommate conflicts can be really nasty and difficult, but for every student I know with a roommate conflict, I also know another who is really happy with his/her roommate.”

Vos also mentioned that he has seen many life-long friendships bloom from rooming situations.

But even these life-long friendships can be tested by housing. Choosing with whom you’re going to live is a commitment that requires communication and compatibility on both ends. You may have a group of friends you can’t wait to live with — the independence of sharing an apartment or the close proximity of a suite is exciting — but getting there is the hard part.

Tiffany Sobers, a freshman majoring in integrative neuroscience, believes that living with a random could be good, bad or ugly. Instead, she feels that living with friends is one of the best parts of college.

“Rooming with a good friend of mine from high school made the transition itself more comfortable,” Sobers said. “Having a good relationship with the people you live with is essential, in my opinion, to live in unison with one another.”

It might be a good idea to test out living arrangements before actually choosing your housing by having a sleepover with the person(s) you have in mind. And not just a sleepover where you all crash after a late night Downtown, but one where you can really see how the other(s) is/are in terms of living habits.

If you get along really well and think you can live drama-free, go for it. You’ll have all the fun you usually have with your friends, all the time. And if you’re afraid of issues that might arise from close quarters, go random or pick a compatible roommate. In Binghamton, your friends are never far away.