<p>i'm a community college student who just recently got an apartment with one of my close friends from high school. i knew she was a little bit controlling and assertive but since we've been living together it's gone too far. she wakes me up every day, weather or not i actually have anything i need to do, and regardless of how much sleep i've gotten. every time she comes in my room she complains about some mess she sees. she helped convince me to bring my dog but she gets mad every time he sheds even one hair. she's always snapping at me to take even more frequent showers and to brush my teeth all the time. she criticizes my eating choices every time i go to get food. she insists on watching whatever she wants to on the tv i brought and immediately dismisses everything i suggest. i could go on. i swear she's even more controlling than my actual parents. i can't just up and move out since it's an apartment and i don't think i'll be able to find a better deal than this. also she is still my friend so i'm constantly afraid to speak up to her out of fear of getting on her bad side. classes haven't even started yet and i already can't stand this, help. </p>
<p>If you’ve signed a lease, you’re stuck. But sometimes friends do NOT make good roommates, as you’re discovering. Find a quiet time and talk to her about some of these issues-especially critiquing your food choice and sleeping, personal care, etc. Those things are YOUR business! If she’s unwilling or unable to change even a little, sad to say, but spend as little time there as possible. Send the TV home and watch shows on your computer-that’s what all of my kids do anyway. Then when it comes time to renew the lease, don’t do it and find a new place. My sister and her “best friend” roomed together one year in college and by the end of the year weren’t even speaking. Their personalities were just too different. They did patch it up later, but only after living apart! Good luck.</p>
<p>You need to sit down with her immediately and discuss these things. You’re both adults, and learning to respect privacy and independence is a big deal. She has no right to tell you what to do, or how to do it. You need to lay down the law with her. Don’t be rude or aggressive, but make it known that you’re not going to let her tell you what you can and cannot do. </p>
<p>If she was coming in and waking me up when I wasn’t ready to get up yet, it would be ending REAL quick. That’s not okay. What does it matter to her if you’re awake?</p>