<p>Singles for freshmen in dorms are unusual, but singles in an apartment-style housing option seem to be more common. M’s Mom is absolutely correct that you do need to investigate all of the options that are available at the places on your list.</p>
<p>I’d meant to comment on the Halal food issue, but it slipped my mind. Speak with your parents and with other “food experts” in your community, and find out whether Vegan, Vegetarian, or Kosher dining could work for you. Although the number of institutions that offer Halal food is increasing, your chances of finding one or more of the other three options are much better.</p>
<p>I know nothing about how roommates are assigned at most colleges, other than that some schools do allow you to pick your roommate if you know someone else enrolling, but I think that while many students who in the majority in most ways may need to be stretched through exposure to diversity when they arrive at college, students who are minorities in whatever way may have different needs. </p>
<p>Regardless of who his roommate is, a Muslim student at an American college is going to get the opportunity to meet, learn about, and interact with people who aren’t Muslim. Similarly a transgender student, regardless of their roommate is going to have plenty of opportunities to be exposed to cisgender individuals. Neither student is going to need someone to force those experience for them. What they may need, at certain times in their life, is a living situation that feels safe to them, where they can get a break from being in the minority, and express themselves clearly.</p>
<p>To me, while I’d be appalled by a Christian student who requested “no Muslim roommates” or a white student who wanted to demand that they not have a black roommate, or a straight student who harassed a gay roommate, I can completely support colleges that pair roommates who observe kosher dietary laws or offer gender-neutral housing options. Similarly, I think that a young Muslim asking for a roommate of the same faith is totally reasonable.</p>
<p>Well, anyone in a college dorm has the possibility of having a roommate who gets up early for some reason, whether religious or not (e.g. 8am class time, job serving breakfast in the dining hall, on the rowing crew, etc.). A “typical” asleep college student may not even notice that you woke up.</p>
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<p>You’d have to check their roommate assignment policies in the dorms, though it would not be surprising if two students who got into the same dorm and same type of room could mutually request each other and be accommodated.</p>
<p>“Similarly, I think that a young Muslim asking for a roommate of the same faith is totally reasonable.”</p>
<p>We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one, curiousjane. I suspect most minority students of any kind would find it easier rooming with someone of similar background - and most will do that for the rest of their college experience. In your freshman year, I think it’s more important to be open to others who are different. Everyone is ‘different’ in some way. It may be embarrassing to pray in front of your room-mate when you are 18, but part of maturity is learning to be unashamed about how your practice your religion, assuming you have one. It’s a relatively minor ‘difference’ really compared to some of the others ones students will encounter when they go to school.</p>
<p>It’s an option on the freshman housing form at Grinnell, but I don’t believe very many people take advantage of it. Basically, you can request to be roomed with a specific person. If that specific person also requests on their form to be roomed with you, then you’re roommates. If it’s not mutually requested, it’s ignored.</p>
<p>It may be less common for roommates to ask for each other as freshmen at small schools because the small schools are likely to have fewer students who know each other from high school. A freshman at a big school may know several others from his/her high school also attending the same school, but a freshman at a small school may be the only one from his/her high school attending that school.</p>