Living with roommates is not always an easy part of college. Whether they are sloppy or careless, sometimes it’s just not easy living with other people. I had the opportunity to live with one of “those” roommates.

She was extremely inconsiderate, especially when it came to her sex life.

It’s a known fact that some students are sexually active. It is your body and your decision; however, if you choose to be sexually active you should be courteous to your roommates.

This former roommate had sex regularly, which would not have been a problem if she had at least been considerate.

She was a very “loud” person to say the least.

When her boyfriend came into town it was unbearable. The apartment sounded like it was hosting the next Jenna Jameson video.

My other roommates and I confronted her about the issue after sitting in the living room and having to turn up the television all the way. We asked her if she could maybe, “tone it down a notch,” the next time.

I know it sounds absurd to ask such a thing, but she was not the only person living in our apartment. Other people had to study, live and have their personal time, too. We did not ask her to stop having sex – that would’ve been demandingly rude. We just asked for a little consideration.

Unfortunately, the former roommate decided to ignore our request to “keep it down,” which led to tension and eventually one less roommate.

For those of you who are sexually active, I am not telling you to stop engaging in those activities, but to be aware of how your actions, or vocal responses to said actions, are inflicting the ambiance of your shared living space.

If your roommates maturely confront you, listen to them and take what they say as friendly advice.

There are a few things that “loud” sexually active individuals can do to be more polite to their roommates.

There is no need to feed tension and animosity when the problem can be compromised.

You should not be restricted on when you can or cannot have sex. However, if you know you are a “loud” person, why not just wait until you are home alone? If no one is home, then there is no way you can bother your other roommates and I’m sure they won’t object to this option.

If your roommates tend to be home all the time, then try turning on the TV in your room on or putting on some music.

It may give away what you are doing, but at least your roommates know you are trying to be thoughtful of them.

If you are intent on having sex and you know you cannot be quiet, or just choose not to be, then renting a hotel room is also an alternative.

It is semi-costly and I would recommend this option only if you absolutely can’t control yourself.

Sometimes you’re placed with random roommates. You have no idea who they are or what they’re like and everything is semi-awkward. In this situation use some social decency. They don’t want to hear you, and I’m sure you don’t want to hear them.

Honestly, just try and keep it down. It’s not that hard.

If worse comes to absolute worst, then your situation may turn out like the one I experienced. The former roommate moved out. The tension and lack of respect in our home was ridiculous.

We lost one friend, but she lost three. She could not find it in her heart to be respectful. An old proverb says to have a friend, be a friend.

I believe that friends should value each other and their relationship. If you’re random roommates, there should still be some value in a positive relationship. It can’t be too hard to be considerate, right?

- Jourdana Passaro is a junior from St. Marys, Ga., majoring in risk management and insurance and magazines