I read posts from people wanting to make sure they can arrange housing with a friend. TAMU is a huge school in a huge state, but is it common for friends and/or students from the same high school to share a dorm room? Do most freshman know their roommate prior to arriving on campus?
If a new student doesn’t know anyone, how does Housing decide who to place them with? Is it random? or do they survey the students for compatibility?
I don’t know the exact percentage but I know many that room with friends and those that go pot luck based on comparability. When you do phase 2 and select roommate finder, you’ll complete a survey on certain things like study habits, clean or messy, loud or quiet etc. then it will give you some people that align with you. You can reach out to them and chat. After that, you can decide to link up and be roommates. Then whoever has the earliest time to select housing can pull the roommate along with them.
So yes it is random but the student has a say and a chance to build a relationship before they decide and eventually move in together.
Clear as mud?
Hello, if my son uses the roommate finder, and that is done in Phase 2, wouldn’t that seriously delay picking out which dorm he wants? Doesn’t he have to choose his dorm, and roommate, in Phase 2? My concern is that if he doesn’t start with the roommate selector until Phase 2, by the time he figures out who he wants as a roommate, the dorm he wants (Mosher w Engineering LLC), could be full.
@2020Outlook You don’t select room until end of April or May. Roommate is typically done in April (where you link your applications). Then whoever has the earlier time slot for actually selecting the room, can “pull” the roommate with him and secure his spot.
For LLCs, both students have to be in the same major. AGAIN, no one picks an actual room (don’t confuse this with preferences in Phase 2) until end of academic year.
So you are saying that in Phase 2 you pick dorm and LLC preferences, but then in May you actual pick the dorm? What is the point of preferences in Phase 2?
@2020Outlook LOLOL I Know, right? So this is the first year for “phases”. Prior years, you completed the whole thing through what is now Phase 2, at one time. The reason they do preferences, as far as I know, is to select for you in case your student misses his time slot for a dorm. HOWEVER, who the heck is going to miss their time slot AND all of the “good” dorms are chosen any way. Maybe they do it to get an idea of what dorms will be requested when the time arrives. I truly have no clue to this.
For my son, Class of 2022, they started linking up with roomies in April (up to 4 people could link together). Before April though I believe you’re able to see other people who are searching for a roomie and are on the roommate finder that meets the same threshold of preferences as you do.