I’m really nervous about messaging people about possibly being roommates next year…is it normal to message a couple of people and not have them message back? should i expect to have a roommate the first message i send? I’m just a little flustered by the whole thing and scared of rejection but is the rejection part normal?
How are you sending the messages? Is there a Facebook group for your class of people looking for roommates? If so, then that’s very normal. Just be careful before you decide; online personalities sometimes aren’t reflective of real personalities.
yes theres a class page! i just messaged a few people and no response 
should i keep trying or wait a little later? like late february to try to look for a roommate?
and how should i go about differentiating between online and real personalities?
I would wait a little longer. I mean, frankly if someone kept messaging me and bugging me about being roommates, I’d think they were weird.
As for the online/real personalities, IMO there’s not really a way to do so. You just have to hope for the best. I did random and got one great roomie and one crap one, and to be honest getting your roommate via Facebook has about the same odds of getting you a great person.
Waiting until later isn’t a bad idea. If you are on a page that is for ED acceptances, then you could start in the spring.If the page has people who haven’t decided where they’re going then you should wait until early summer after the big decision day. There’s no real way to tell what someone will be like in person, but try and pick up on their habits as you guys talk. What time does she go to bed? Does she listen to music while she studies? Does she keep her room clean? Some people I know Skyped or FaceTimed their roommates to get a better idea.
You could always go with random selection. Many schools now have a survey you fill out with questions like the ones from above to try and match you with a compatible roommate. Often it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. The worst case scenario is that you switch dorms a few weeks in.
You should really wait until later. Most (all?) colleges have a freshman orientation at some point before the school year (probably in the summer) and that is where most new students will find their roommates. Not many people want to randomly pick someone off of Facebook. Face-to-face is still the best way to get to know someone.
Does your school have orientation? Is it an option to attend? It’s far enough out that if cost is a concern (you should only have the orientation fee and travel- food and lodging will probably be included) you can get a part time job to pay for it. Just a recommendation, but I think this is the absolute best avenue.