Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing A College Roommate

By Emily Plummer on October 20, 2015

The quintessential question of moving out of the dorms: Who will you live with? Will you get an apartment with your best friend? A house with lots of your floormates? Another year with your current roommate in the dorms?

Image via Flickr.com

It is a big question. For many of us, this is the first time we have had the freedom, and the responsibility, to choose who we want to live with. No more sharing a room with your siblings, residing down the hall from your parents, letting the university randomly assign you a roommate. Now you get to take control of your living situation and decide who you want to be a part of it.

However scary or exciting as that may seem, there is a variety of aspects to think about when choosing a roommate. Considering these throughout the year, as you scout out potential roommates, will help you figure out exactly what type of people and what type of environment you want your future home to consist of.

Friend or Acquaintance?

This is often the first question people ask themselves. Do I want my roommates to be my best friends or randomly selected peers? Living with friends can be very appealing; I mean what could be better than spending 24/7 with the people you have the most fun with?

Well, there are pros and cons of living with friends. Some of these include:

Pros:

*You will always have people to hang out with. Whether it is the middle of the night or early in the morning, you will be surrounded by friends to have fun with.

*You will get to learn more than you ever otherwise would about your friends.

*Your friends probably already share some of your interests — taste in music, food, books, classes — and you will be able to enjoy these together all the time.

Friends can make great apartment-mates. Image via Flickr.com

Cons:

*Going back to a home full of friends may be more social than you would like at times when you need to study or take a nap.

*You may feel like you don’t get out of the house enough if the people you live with are also the people you tend to hang out with.

*If you and your friends have strong personalities, moving in together could cause too many conflicts and end up hurting your friendship.

Personality Types: Match or Clash?

We often think of friends as the best choices for roommates because we have so much fun with them. The thought is that it could only be even more fun to live with them. But that definitely depends on the personalities of your friends and you.

If you are the type of person who likes their alone time, maybe living with people who will want to hang out together all the time is not the best idea, and you would be better off with someone you do not know very well. On the other hand, if you are not comfortable around people you do not know well, then maybe a random roommate is not for you.

If you do decide to room with someone you know, think about what type of personality you would want to be around in your living space. Would you be happier with a friend who is full of energy or someone more laid back, someone who likes to party or someone more into movie nights?

Do you remember all of those survey questions your school asked when they were pairing up roommates? Sleep schedule, cleanliness, having guests over. Those are all still important aspects of living with a roommate. So think about your own personality and try to figure out what other personalities would compliment it best.

Special Skills

Here’s another aspect of roommate selection that can be overlooked. More than connecting with a roommate through personalities, you may each have special skills to offer. Think about skills like cooking, cleaning, decorating, playing music, etc.

Maybe you are a terrible cook, but if your roommate is a great one, they could do the cooking and you could take on a different task. Or maybe you have a friend who plays the guitar. It would be nice to have live guitar music around at home. That could be a factor in your roommate selection.

Imagine this jam session in your living room. Image via Flickr.com

Roommate selection is a big decision. It can determine how your living situation will go as you move on from your first year in the dorms and gain some independence. The last thing to consider then, is that there will always be an adjustment period moving in with new people.

Whether you are best friends or strangers, living together will take some getting used to. Growing up in different places and situations, each of you will have developed ways of doing everyday tasks uniquely. Everyone will settle into the new home and get accustomed to each other’s routines at their own pace.

So while choosing someone to live with is a delicate process, don’t get discouraged if your home life is a little rocky at the beginning. As long as you can all communicate and still get along, things will get better.

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