"Not everyone is destined for cohabitation," said Kathryn Williams in her brand new publication, "Roomies: Sharing Your Home with Friends, Strangers and Total Freaks" (Chronicle Books, $12.95).



As many college students have learned: roommates happen. There are a lucky few who live with best friends from high school, hopeful prospects met on Virtual Orientation and others simply deal with their random assignment. Some first-years have lost a roommate already and now stand on the brink of moving in with yet another complete stranger.



Whether you're a freshman getting shafted by the housing survey, an upperclassman living with housemates in the student neighborhood, or a future graduate preparing to rent your first apartment, Williams has valuable roommate advice for you.



A veteran of 13 roommates and counting, Williams outlines the entire cohabitation process with fresh wit and blunt honesty, peppered with true roomie horror stories and tips for handling conflict in a mature or passive-aggressive way.



Fall break is upon UD students just in time for a seperation from your roommates. Prepare for the second half of the semester with some handy tips on sharing a space:

Author, roommate of 13 shares tips, horror stories



1. Living with roommates is give and take.



2. There are, of course, obvious benefits to living with someone you know and trust. It feels safe, and you can cling to each other in the initial days and weeks of discovering that you are now a small fish in a big pond. Remember that college is a time to broaden your horizons and meet new people.



3. Finding a roomie is like blind dating. Ease into it. Start with an e-mail. If he or she tickles your fancy, progress to a phone conversation. Still think this person is not a total loser? Suggest meeting them in person.



4. Fair sharing of the bathroom is like a carefully choreographed ballet. Coordinate schedules.



5. Really, all you need to know to keep the kitchen peace [and everywhere else], you learned in kindergarten: 1) Don't take other people's things; 2) If you make a mess, clean it up; and, last but not least, 3) Share.



6. In terms of a communal space, all roommates should feel welcome to do just that in this room: commune. It's a neutral area

- a truce zone if need be - and should be kept clean, comfortable and inviting enough that people aren't afraid to sit down and stay awhile.



7. Part of being in a roomie relationship is learning how to share - or to keep your hands off.



8. Unfortunately, the reality is that schedules don't always match and tastes don't always mesh. This may not spell roomie disaster, but it may require a little maturity on your part.



9. Occasionally, there comes a time when you look at your roomies and realize, with a deep pang of regret, that she is not the person you moved in with. Roomies change and sometimes grow apart. Such is life.