What do you think is the appropriate age difference between two roommates coexisting in a dorm? For instance, how would you feel if an 18 year old was paired with a 26 year old, what are you views? Both are females. Would this living arrangement be awkward? If so, how? Discuss.
I don’t see any issues of age differences with two roommates of the same sex especially. As long as you both are comfortable, it shouldn’t matter. If either is uncomfortable, then I would say avoid it. The only difference really is that one can drink legally, but this is true of roommates at age 20 and 21, so it isn’t a matter of a large age gap really.
The only way it would be awkward is if they had fundamentally different views on how to live, but then, that’s not age dependent. There are some mid-20-somethings who are wild loud partiers, and there are really responsible and quiet 18-year-olds.
The major difference is just going to be life stages - if we’re talking about an 18-year-old college student and a 26-year-old young professional, they’re just at different stages in their lives. But I have some friends and colleagues at different life stages than myself, so that’s not a dealbreaker.
Anyone over the age of 19 living in a dorm is weird to me.
I think it depends completely on the personalities and maturity of the people. When I was a grad student (about 24), I roomed with two freshmen in a on campus apartment. Never again! However one of two freshman was very immature and not really ready for college. My fourth roommate was a sophomore and we got along fine.
When I was 19, I shared an apartment with a married couple who were both in their late 20s. We got along well and occasionally did social things together, but one of the things that was really nice about it was that we could be friends without the awkwardness of having to involve each other in our activities. It wasn’t awkward if I went off to do something with my friends and didn’t invite them and/or vice versa.
It could be better. Young people spend too much time “ghetto’d” from older people as it is, and that takes from them opportunities to learn from more experienced people. My time with older people when I was young did me more good than time with other young people.