<p>Hey-I didn't really get this question answered in another thread i posted with some other questions, so I think I'll ask it again:</p>
<p>I'm signed up for the roommate finder on UNC Housing's website and a few people have contacted me, but I guess I haven't found a "great" roommate yet. I'd have no problem living with any of them, but you probably get my drift. I also find the search function incredibly annoying to use on that site, so my contacts have been limited as well. </p>
<p>Anyway, I was wondering how random roommates work at UNC. On the housing app, it doesn't really give you much of a chance to say your roommate preferences except smoking vs. nonsmoking. Do they instead use info from their roommate finder if you don't request a roommate? Or is it just that so few students do a random roommate that they don't ask. Guess I had always just kind of planned on a random one, so I'm not sure what to do. No matter what you're going to end up with another freshman, right?</p>
<p>Thanks for your help and any other insight or experiences you might have had with random roommates at UNC.</p>
<p>They changed the search function, right? I used to be able to search for names or key words, but now I can only search for preferences. That is annoying - I had earlier written down names of people I wanted to contact, and now I can’t find them. Heck, I can’t even find the profile of a girl I’m communicating with already. I sent a polite email asking them to change it back and explaining why, but that was quite a while ago… </p>
<p>I would guess that they don’t use info from the roommate finder… but I’m not sure. Me, I plan on using roommate finder even if no one suits me perfectly. I definitely cannot live with just any random freshman. Part of me wants to find “my soulmate” or something stupid and idealistic like that… I know I won’t, but at least I can find someone a bit more similar to me. </p>
<p>I read somewhere most freshmen get put with other freshies, but that a few have gotten with sophomores. Still, it seems unlikely. But, I should probably let more knowledgeable people answer this!</p>
<p>The system is pretty screwed up, for example next year they put me with a freshman (I’ll be a senior) which is incredibly dumb but I’ll be getting that fixed.</p>
<p>The roommate finder is just for your personal preference. It’s for people who feel more comfortable if they don’t go purely potluck. I did it my first year, and it worked out fabulously–I’m still best friends with my roommate and ALL my suitemates.</p>
<p>The housing people don’t use a personality/preferences survey to match people–it actually is totally random, aside from the smoking question. I remember reading somewhere that they did some research that showed using surveys to find matches resulted in no fewer room transfers than random pairing. Why make all the effort if it doesn’t save them some drama later? They do give you a resource (the roommate finder site) to find your own roommate if you wish.</p>
<p>I went pot-luck. I actually roomed with a sophomore this year (I’m a freshman), but it worked out fine. Me and my room-mate aren’t best friends, which is understandable, but I haven’t had any issues either.</p>
<p>Remember, you don’t have to become best friends with your roommate; most people don’t. You must however show/have respect for the their needs and space.</p>