So, I'm enrolled in college, striving to get my Associates Degree. It's my first year and I will be living in a dorm with WHO KNOWS WHO. So I'm a little uneducated on what I should do. Here's a list of things I'm wondering about:

1. What to bring and what not to bring. (i.e., I want to take my 800+$ custom built computer, but I don't want my roommate to trade it for crack when I'm not present O_O)

2. What to do if I am uncomfortable with my roommate.

And... That's pretty much it. Any tips for me? It doesn't have to regard the above two, but that would help too!

I only have classes Monday through Thursday... So maybe I shouldn't worry about taking a lot of things when I could leave some stuff at home and use it when I'm home...

Okay, I had a random roommate during freshman year and we made it through without a Collegehumor worthy story.

To answer your questions.

1. Go ahead and bring your computer and tell your roommate up front that it is off limits.  Most decent people would respect that and leave it alone.  If you have any actual suspicion that your roommate would do that, which probably will not happen, then send the computer back home.

2. Stop being paranoid.  I'm sorry, but your post makes you sound paranoid.  Try to be polite, if not friendly, and if you don't want to spend time in your room, then do what I did.  Don't spend time in your room.

Some roommates are jerks, but most of the time, they're decent people.  Keep out of their business and they'll keep out of yours.

1. Bring things you'll need and use often. If you're in a dorm, you're not gonna have a lot of space. Your computer is a must, because the school computers will almost certainly be inferior. If you're that scared about it getting stolen, maybe get some kind of desk lock for it and keep your door locked when you're not in the room (it's more likely that someone on your floor will take it if they find your door unlocked and the room empty than your roommate).

2. Make friends with your roommate! You guys will be living in the same room all year so if you can get friendly with each other, it makes things 100 times easier. If you can, call him or send him an email and introduce yourself. Tell him what kind of stuff you're bringing with you that you could both use (if you have a minifridge or a couch or something), and ask if he's bringing anything. If you guys have any huge problems somewhere down the line and you decide you can't live with him, most housing departments have a way for you to transfer rooms (the earlier, the better).

But yeah, I agree with JAStars102. Don't be so paranoid, your roommate is probably nervous about it too. Chances are you'll be fine. I didn't know my roommate going into freshman year, but we became very close friends.

I will be starting college next year, I would have this year but I didn't apply quick enough.
I was kinda worried about living in a dorm. Now, Not so much lol

Always an exciting time. When I was a freshman, I was in a suite-style room. This means that it was me and five other random roommates all living in the same space. Odds are you'll be fine, because your roommate is just another person in your exact same boat. BUT, to answer your questions specifically (even though everyone covered things thoroughly thus far):

1.) I'm assuming it's a laptop? I guess if you're paranoid, go ahead andbuy a desk lock. I really doubt your roommate would mess with it (or anyone for that matter), because we all have computers and understand what's off-limits. Still though, you could have a very "friendly" roommate who might want to look something up really quick if your computer is on an idle. I guess a rule like that is up to you, but it wouldn't bother me.

2.) Uncomfortable is kind of vague, but! Always remember to keep an open mind. If you go in there assuming that your roommate is going to be awful, it's not gonna work out. My freshman roommate and I had some issues on respecting each others' beliefs at certain points (he was from a very strict Catholic household and some of my activities could have been considered...unsavory?). But it goes both ways. If you respect your roommate's quirks and differences, he will respect yours. It's how it works.

Still, there are those rare cases where things just will NOT work out. If that happens, don't worry too much. Your R.A. can help you get out of a bad situation, and most schools usually have a decent turnover for spare rooms and stuff, since things like this happen all the time. If you want to switch, then just do it. Housing offices will help you with that process, find out what went wrong, etc.

basically: try to remain calm. It's a stressful time, we've all been there, but...Just realize you can have a lot more fun if you don't sweat the small stuff.

I recommend taking a laptop instead. A laptop is much more easily accessible and you can take it to lecture and the library. I don't know about your desk, but mine was roomy with laptop.

I dormed with two friends from high school at one of the residential halls at my university and I rarely spent time at the hall. I was always across campus hanging with other friends from the same high school.

We have a quarter system and during the Winter quarter I had quite an experience with one my roommates. I had finished my final exam with 40 minutes to spare and decided to go back to my dorm to rest. As soon as I opened the door, I see my roommate placing my jewelry box back on my desk and she explained that she was looking for her necklace. She immediately apologized but she demonstrated to me that she didn't trust me. It was quite awkward for the next few months and we didn't talk about it. I actually got a little closer with my other roommate, but it's definitely not a good atmosphere. Awkward tension, but now I don't see them anymore because I'm rooming with my other friends
I hope nothing like that happens to you and you hit it off with your roommate.

Our hall had three floors and there was a much more extreme situation than mine. One girl actually broke her roommate's mini-fridge and my R.A. had to remove that person from that floor. He just switched a girl from the second floor with the perpetrator the third.

VITAL: Make sure to take flip-flops for the showers, it's definitely necessary! And a shower caddy!

1. Like Ms. Mitzi said, bring stuff that you're actually going to use. You're likely not going to have a lot of closet space, so take clothes that you're willing to wear somewhat frequently.

As for stuff that's off-limits, you have every right to request that your roommate doesn't touch your stuff (or certain stuff). I got halfway through my first year of dorm living before realizing that my roommate had been using my wireless printer. Apparently he didn't think I'd have any problem with it, but he was using my ink and paper, neither of which is cheap. Also, my college's library checks out laptop locks to students for free. You might want to check into ways you can insure that your belongings don't leave your room by any means besides yourself.

2. First off, send your roommate an email. Talk about what sort of items you'll be bringing and ask if there's anything he thinks you guys might need. Maybe state where you're from and list some of your interests. Try not to judge him too harshly before you have a chance to meet him.

Also, try to be understanding and open-minded while talking with him. If there's something he does that bothers you (assuming it's something that truly is annoying), you can request for him to stop, especially if it's something that can interrupt your sleeping/studying.

And if worse comes to worse, you'll likely have an RA (Resident's Assistant) that can help handle any disputes between you and your roommate. It's always best if you can work it out amongst yourselves, but RAs are there if you need them, even if it's just to have someone to talk to occasionally.

Other Stuff: Just because you only have classes Monday through Thursday doesn't mean you get to completely forget about school work over a three-day weekend. Classes require both homework and study time, so maybe it'd be best to put effort into keeping up two out of the three days and then taking the remaining day off for relaxation/fun.

I'm now going into my third year of college, and I'm still learning new study techniques and other ways in which I can benefit from both the social and academic aspects of college. But I have learned quite a bit already, so if there's any way in which I can help you, you're more than welcome to send me PT.