GT is very hard to turn down in state for a STEM kid. Wonder if that was a factor. Less of a financial difference out of state.
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No solution here either. But the first thing that flashed in my head was a scene in Animal House, where Bluto, John Belushiâs character, is descending the stairs at a frat house party, when he sees a guy playing the guitar in front of a couple girls on the stairs. And Bluto takes the guitar away from the guitar player and promptly smashes the guitar against the wall.
Not that would ever happen with your son. 
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Definitely needs to disclose it. Will probably need to turn the volume down so the headphones donât leak sound or get over the ear headphones that donât leak. I think this falls into the category of âcould be difficult to live with in a small room.â Having someone that plays guitar is likely not enough 
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LOL! Sometimes Bluto is me, especially at 1am on a weekday.
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@STEM2017 does S19 still remember what was on the questionnaire he filled out to get his random roommate? If so, worth S21 talking with him to see if there is a space for âadditional infoâ or âspecial considerationsâ. If not, each out to campus housing to see if there is a way to share special considerations. So many kids have âsomethingâ. His guitar playing wouldnât be the hardest thing for a roommate to learn to live with.
Could also make sure he answers questions like âDo you like to keep the room quiet or loudâ with this in mind.
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I agree and itâs things like this (no offense @STEM2017 ) why I strongly encouraged my son not to go random. What someone may think is not really a nuisance to others, can be a huge annoyance to someone. I have had no less than 3 people tell me that they wish their kid could be my kidâs roommate. The reason is because they think my kid would be a good influence on theirs. Itâs funny because Iâve never thought about it like that. But the thing is, my kid wouldnât benefit by someone like that and my kidâs study habits wouldnât rub off on that person just because they were roommates. My son is very disciplined. Heâs social and chatty and likes sports, plays one, but is a serious student and likes his study time. He doesnât want someone coming into a room at all hours and he isnât looking to be the parent to another kid. He also doesnât want someone who is going to sit and be a partier and drink like crazy etc. These are things he specifically looked for in a roommate. So someone else who knows their kid already does these things and thinks being with my son will help those habits rub off on him, no way. Those kids have to learn on their own to take things seriously. He also needs someone that has same values as him in terms of covid, and there are many who donât care to take it as seriously. Or kids that think itâs ok to smoke pot in the room, etc. One gets caught, they both pay the price, etc. So ya, he is not going random. So while the roommate who is chill and thinks he can get along with everyone, doesnât realize that perhaps he canât get along with just anyone no matter how likable or easy going he is, because to some, he or she isnât really that easy going because when that person says they want the lights off at 11, they mean 11. They donât mean come in at 1am and do your think because youâre so chill you donât care. Yep, Iâve heard that too from parents of kids who just want to go random because they are so âchillâ. Again, not directing it at anyone specifically on here, just saying what itâs like for some.
The roommate finder at Michigan is great. You put your interests and they find many others like that. You can then talk to them or not. Or look for someone with other interests and see if you want to live together. So many people are focused on the pictures, but seriously, who cares what the roommate looks like? Last I checked, our kids are not dating their roommates.
Great suggestions. Will ask S19 if he remembers. There must be something in the questionnaire for musical instruments, music, etc.
I think thatâs going to be an issue for the roommate and the rooms nearby. You canât have someone playing electric guitar all times of the day, no? That would just not be respectful to any roommate.
Maybe Iâm not understanding how loud it would beâŠ
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No offense takenâŠat all. We want this to work for everyone involved. Get all the idiosyncrasies (like electric guitar playing) out in the open at the onset.
A friendâs son had a horrific freshman year because his random roommate never mentioned in the questionnaire that heâs a gamer and plays 23 hours a day. That did not end well.
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Definitely not loud enough to be heard outside of the dorm room.
By the way, he was raised to be a very respectful and considerate human. If he knows his roommate doesnât like the guitar playing, he wont play. This would be terrible for him. Iâm just trying to find a way to help him find the right roommate. Maybe he should room with a drummer 
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Are electric guitars allowed in dorm rooms? Just curious. Iâve seen students bring acoustic guitars before.
Wow. Excellent question. Will have S21 ask.
I imagine the guitar is not the issueâŠitâs the amp.
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Ew 23 hours a day? Yikes.
Some schools have music rooms and dorms with music rooms in them. He may want to check if his school has dorms like that and then thatâs where he can go to play the guitar. That way he doesnât disrupt the roommate or any hallmates.
My son talks loud lol. He doesnât believe us, but we keep telling him that is something he is going to have to be considerate of. I assume at some point someone will make sure he is told at school and thatâs that. If he debates it at school like he does at home, wellâŠthat wonât end too well. Lol. They all have to give and take.
Someone that reached out to mine as a potential roommate said he plays the violin and piano but âdonât worry heâs not bringing them to schoolâ. That was actually in his roommate profile i believe. They chatted for a bit, but ultimately didnât match for roommates. He found someone with similar interests even though mine is in Engineering and this one is in LSA, but both hugely into sports, some game they play, not interested in rushing, OOS, vaccine, non smoker, ok with some drinking (mine wouldâve taken the substance free dorm but since no idea which dorm it would be didnât want to pick that option), etc. Basically, pretty sure there wonât be heavy partying in the room. My son also isnât a big music listener. Yes, I honestly donât know what is wrong with him. Or, any of my kids for that matter. They donât know what good music is, lol. The amount of money weâve saved on concerts is huge!! Shopping and sporting events, more than make up for it though.
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My S18 is also a guitarist and played A LOT when he was living here in high school. We have 13 guitars and 2 basses in our house, to give you an idea of the level of interest. Anyway, he took two guitars to college and a small amp. Had two roommates he met at an admitted student event (so didnât go random but didnât really know them either). Between their video games and rap music blasting, my sonâs guitar playing was not a big deal. He also used headphones plugged into amp when needed (though as you know the strumming and picking still make some noise). And honestly he didnât play as much, by his own admission. I think the workload, the socializing, the excursions, etc just meant he didnât have the same amount of time. Though he is now a music minor, so I guess he gets at least some playing in.
One option for loud playing might be to find a practice room in the music building on campus. Like if your S just really wanted to let it rip.
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Some dorms donât allow any amplified instruments at all. Check into that first. Of course if your son like my son plays both acoustic and electric the acoustic could be just as annoying if it was going all day long.
Most schools will have a practice area as well.
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Penn State has told us that they do not use questionnaires to match roommates at all and do it completely random. The rationale seemed to be both a false sense of precision and also that what people put on the questionnaire doesnât really reflect what might happen when kids get there. Not sure how to introduce the guitar thing in that context.
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Iâm going to go out on a limb here and say kids shouldnât be playing video games all that much in college. Time to grow up and shouldnât you be studying? Also, for as expensive as college is, the best value is for students to get out there and take advantage of all a college offers.
I get playing a little bit with some friends in your room but I really Hope most kids arenât continuing their video game habit in college.
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My son hardly plays video games now, like maybe a couple times a yr. I hope he doesnât end up with a gamer roommate.
He also loves playing guitar and piano, so he would love a roommate that plays. He often takes breaks to play while studying also, it helps him clear his mind.
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GT is a pretty good deal even for OOS full-pay STEM students like our daughter. We could afford 4 years of Ivy-level expenses but GT seems like a steal in comparison.
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Like free beer at frat parties. 
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