Compromise is the key to roommate harmony.

• Position: Colleges - Brief Article

Millions of incoming freshmen carrying computers, sheets, and pillowcases--and even the occasional teddy bear--will soon leave their homes to spend their first semester at college. More important than anything they can put in a box or cart on a dolly is the attitude this year's crop of freshmen bring to their new home-away-from-home, maintains Regina Rousso Wilmes, housing director at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.

"Every year, we see more students who've had the luxury of having a room to themselves at home," she says. "When you move in with someone, compromise becomes really important." She suggests that, as soon as possible...