by Amanda Yen, Student Writer
Most people find their roommates either through social media pages or mutual friends. If you’re looking for a roommate through one of these avenues, here are some things to keep in mind as you conduct your search:
- Look for someone you can live with. This one seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people pass up good roommates because they’re actually looking for a best friend. It’s nice to have the same interests as your roommate, but that’s not the most important thing. It’s way more important that you have similar living habits. After all, it is their room as much as it is yours.
- Get on the same page. Talk to potential roomies about expectations of cleanliness, keeping food in the room, having people over, preferred room temperature, and what time you go to bed and get up in the morning. Are you cool with sharing things? Will you study in the room, or in a public space like the library? Be really clear about what your expectations are, and make sure you understand theirs.
- Ask what they want to do on campus. Sometimes it’s easier to live with someone if your daily routines are somewhat similar, or if you run in the same circles. If you’re both planning to do Greek life, for example, you’ll probably have similar schedules and obligations, and you’ll know some of the same people. Being involved in similar things helps you see eye-to-eye in a living situation.
- Talk about how to deal with conflict. It’s really common to encounter minor problems in your living situation in your first semester. That said, it’s really important that you both expect to be open and civil with each other if you do need to address some differences.
- Meet up. Before you commit to someone, try to meet up with them at least once, or FaceTime them if you can’t meet in person. This way, you’ll get a feeling for their personality and see if you vibe with them.
There are plenty of great potential roommates out there, so give everyone a shot. And remember, you can always go random! Your roommate doesn’t have to be your best friend –– they just have to be someone you can live with well.
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