Roommates – aarrgghh! The topic of cocktail conversations for years to come, is also the biggest lesson anyone can learn about temperament and how one can deal with others who are fundamentally different. There are thousands of students on a college campus – you're thinking "why did I have to end up with the weirdest one?" Ah, a lesson in maturity and acceptance of diversity awaits.

As a starting point, when you take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, you will at least have a concrete understanding about yourself. Once in college, you will be able to test it out. Let's say you are a Rational NT type: one who is ingenious, reasonable and ever logical. You pride yourself on your ability to focus, problem-solve and strategize about everything from figuring out the nerdy prof you have in organic chemistry to what time to leave for Saturday's football game so as to arrive after the drunken throngs, yet still make the kick-off. Your roommate, on the other hand, is a typical Artisan SP type: unconventional, spontaneous and carefree. For this "oddball", freedom is everything – making a statement is all-important, arriving on-time anywhere is, well, just not in the cards. How do you deal with that in an 8' x 8' space of your cramped dorm quarters?

First, you might just learn to be a bit more playful and creative if you allow yourself to look into their world. Maybe NOT making plans for a weekend, just letting it unfold, could allow you to learn some freedoms you've not had. Second, what about tagging along with your Artisan roommate to an art gallery opening on campus or even an anti-war demonstration? Hey maybe, just maybe, you'll make new friends and find some common ground with this mysterious person.

This article is the first of a series:

• Getting Along With Your Guardian Roommate
• Getting Along With Your Artisan Roommate
• Getting Along With Your Idealist Roommate
• Getting Along With Your Rational Roommate