My room selection process for next year has started. My plan was to live in a 5 person suite with 4 of my friends however, the school ran out of rooms before our time to choose so now i don’t have a second option. Is it weird as a sophomore to have a random roommate or should i go for a single? those are the only two options because housing for a double/single is next week and mostly everyone has found a roommate.
People have random roommates all throughout college at some places if they stay in campus housing. It’s not weird at all but you are certainly rolling the dice in terms of getting along with the person. Then again, roommates really only need to coexist so having a random when you already have friends should be no big deal unless they are super annoying/messy/noisy. I’ve found rooming with friends more difficult than random roommates because when your friend doesn’t clean up or is always watching TV on max volume it’s harder to talk to them without threatening your friendship.
Personally, I’d go for the single if you’re sure your college won’t run out of single rooms, but otherwise just go for the random–you can always switch roommates later too.
Best way to become enemies with friends is to room with them. My son’s a sophomore and roomed blind and it worked out great. He is in university apartments. He is doing it for junior year also. He’s really not that picky and is not best friends with this roommate or last year’s but you just have to get along and be curtious to each other. It’s worked on well for him and think he likes the idea of the randomness of it.
If single is in the budget, I would do that. It is not weird to have a random roommate, but easier on you if you can find someone, not necessarily a best friend, who you feel you can live with. You just need to be able to respect each other and be decent people.
Does you school do questionnaire matching to put the random people together? My DS’s school did an excellent job match with my DS and his two first year roommates to the point they want to stay together until the graduate.
While random roommates work out well most times, when they don’t, they are hell. If you have the $$ and the option (and don’t think you’ll suffer from loneliness), I’d go for the single. It was not an option for D because of limited housing:
Year 1: 3 people in a 2-person dorm room. Roommate 1 was an acquaintance (messy and inconsiderate), Roommate 2 was random (a vampire who was probably depressed). Not a good experience.
Year 2: 4 people in a 4-bedroom on-campus apartment. Roommates 1 and 2 were friends made the previous year, Roommate 3 was random. Roommates 1 and 2 wound up not getting along, so ongoing tension in the apartment.
Year 3: D went scorched earth and looked for somewhere to be a random 4th. 2-bedroom off-campus apartment 1 mile from campus. She loves her place, loves her 3 roommates.
Year 4: It appears it will be rinse and repeat of Year 3, which we are all supremely happy about.
D knows she would be better off living with people than not as she’s a bit introverted. Know yourself.