I just accepted admission to Grinnell, and now I have access to the roommate form. I’m not entirely sure how I want to go about this when it comes to roommate personality/my personality and what I’m looking for in a roommate (I know, I should know what I’m looking for).
Anyways, I’ll start this thread as a discussion on the form and roommates in general .
From experience: if you like spending time in your room, ask for an extroverted roommate so that you have it mostly for yourself.
Consider substance-free housing if you like a clean, quiet (and, if you get Kershaw) new dorms. You can still party - but the party is elsewhere and it means you can get away from it. It also means your room-mate is likely to likewise want a clean, quiet place. Sub-free housing is very popular at Grinnell - so much so that they don’t all fit into the dorms and in some cases have had to add ‘overflow’ sub-free floors in other dorms, which is less desirable, but still works if that is something that matters to you.
Alright, I was thinking about sub-free housing anyways. And I am a very big introvert, but I don’t know how I would do with an extroverted roommate. I’m still not sure what kind of roommate I should look for (the choose three traits). Should I look for someone like me or a little bit like me? Finally, I don’t know whether or not I want an international roommate or not.
Hey, I’m a current Grinnell student. When I did the roommate form I rushed through it the night I committed. I suggest that you put some thought into it but also know that it’s not the most important thing ever. I, as well as a significant portion of my friends switched roommates a couple months in.
They do take what you say in the roommate form very seriously so definitely be honest. One of my friends said they wanted to go to bed at 9pm every night but wasn’t serious about it. Bad idea.
Sub-free housing has its positives and negatives. There is a bit of a stigma attached to it. If you want to make friends who don’t drink or smoke, then I would suggest sub-free. However, many first-years choose sub free and regret it later. A lot of people change their mind about substance use after arriving at college and then they feel isolated from the social scene in sub-free. The people who choose sub-free housing are usually more studious and often don’t go out on the weekends.
I would suggest that you say yes to an international roommate. That doesn’t necessarily mean you will room with someone international. International students are an awesome part of Grinnell. You should consider that international students have their own orientation program a week earlier than everyone else so when you arrive your roommate will probably already have a group of friends. (There are other pre-orientation programs so this is true for a lot of students.) Also, international student roommates may not be the same age as you because school systems are different in other countries. Rooming with an international student is probably the best way to make international friends, if you get along with your roommate.