Most first-year students attending college choose dorms as a living option. Others decide to move straight into an off-campus apartment.

Should I live with my best friends or should I consider meeting new people from the Facebook class page? Questions along these lines are often considered, but living with best friends can be a bad idea.

Many students find friends through living in dorms, the same buildings or sharing rooms. According to Study, most people establish their lifelong friendships between the ages of 15 to 25.

Living in a new environment surrounded by new people supports adulthood growth. Simultaneously, some will meet lifelong friends which is why it is important to consider what comes with new friendships in college.

Living in an apartment comes with responsibilities. It’s more than a huge, fun sleepover with friends. It means paying bills, respecting differences in schedules and learning how to separate friendship from roommate responsibilities.

A group of best friends tend to influence each other. In an article on Personal Excellence, the author reflects on the idea that people reflect their five best friends. People are flawed and bad habits can rub off.

Since best friends know each other more than anyone else, students may use this as reassurance as bed room buddies. Many believe living with best friends is easier when in fact acquaintances make better roommates.

Another false bonus is rooming with best friends because most spend their time together anyways. It’d be easier to just live together.

Unfortunately, people fight and become irate toward their best friends which is healthy and normal in any friendship. When arguing with roommates who are also considered as best friends, it’s harder to get away when they live in the same household. Too much time together can negatively affect friendships.

Personally, going home to people who I don’t spend most of my waking hours with is reassuring and relaxing. If my friends and I argue, I’d want to cool down at my home rather than one room down from the source of stress.

Another fallacy some might believe is that friends make for the best roommates. However, there is also the possibility that people can be extremely good friends but be really bad roommates.

Someone’s cleaning, studying and living habits don’t always reflect the person’s personality. Sure, best friends are the people who most would feel comfortable around. At the end of the day, paying bills and respecting each other’s space and privacy can override the strength of the friendship.

A good friendship doesn’t mean a pair work as roommates, which is why it is crucial to think clearly and ahead when it comes to signing a lease.

Rachel Reyes can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.