<p>It's only two and a half weeks before fall semester begins, and UC Berkeley housing finally releases roommate assignments. I log in to check and see that my roommate has not authorized the release of his contact information. Since Cal Housing doesn't release the room numbers and the information is withheld, I have absolutely no idea who my roommate is going to be and how I am going to contact him. I call up Cal Housing and verified that this is in fact the case.</p>
<p>That effectively comes down to - I know which residence hall I'll be in, but I do not have any information about who my roommate is (not even a name) until I move in two days before classes start. This is a situation I'm extremely uncomfortable with, and I usually have epic conflict with people who are so secretive.</p>
<p>What is the best thing to do now? How long should I wait for my future roommate to contact me before I take defensive action?</p>
<p>If my roommate doesn't contact me, my options are:</p>
<p>1.) Find out who my roommate is by surprise on the day of move-in and figure out where to put two fridges, two microwaves, two printers, and two TVs in the hella small room.</p>
<p>2.) Immediately request a room transfer from the housing office in hopes of getting a new roommate.</p>
<p>3.) Play hard ball on Cal Housing -- invalidate my housing contract and immediately start seeking an apartment. This is possible because I electronically signed the contract myself before I turned 18, when I was supposed to get my parents to sign; hence it is not legally binding.</p>
<p>What would you suggest doing here? The roommate contact information was released yesterday at 6pm.</p>
<p>lol yeah i second with the good luck with number 3
but anyways, i think u should just wait it out and see who ur roommate is. because i doubt they would let u do #2 neway. u need a legitimate argument for requesting to change rooms and saying that ur potential roommate didnt release his info wont cut it</p>
<p>Epic conflicts? Seriously that word is getting overplayed.</p>
<p>And you're thinking about getting an apartment just because you don't know anything about your roommate? That sounds like an absurd thing to do.</p>
<p>I'm gonna guess you're a double. It's not that big of a deal to not know who you're rooming with because both sides of the room are identical and you're gonna have enough space to put what you want, where you want it. chill out...it's only 17 more days. Just go with option 1....besides, 2 is a pretty bad idea this late and 3 makes you sound like a ******; I signed my contract for my dad and they'll say it's your fault for going ahead with it on their behalf. Just let it go because any time you get involved with Cal housing you're basically guaranteed to get screwed one way or another.</p>
<p>Just calm down and take a deep breath. You are really over-reacting. Why do you need to take any "defensive action" at all? What has your future roommate done to you? Absolutely nothing. He simply hasn't contacted you yet.</p>
<p>It's only been 24 hours; give him a break. Maybe he is not hovering over his computer keyboard waiting to find out his room assignment. Maybe he actually has a life and is out doing something else -- working, traveling, finding a cure for cancer, etc. Maybe he's camping in the woods where there is no Internet or cell phone service, LOL!</p>
<p>Seriously, you'll meet him soon enough. Either he will contact you in the next few days or, worst case, you'll meet him on move-in day. But please, don't go there with the attitude that "this guy is trying to screw me so I have to get away from him" before you have even met him. That will not help your relationship with someone you may have to live with for the next nine months.</p>
<p>Yeaaah I don't think your situation is that bad. There are people on here who have roommates threatening to smother them with a pillow in their sleep. Why not buy stuff when you are on campus? I think you can survive a week without a tv or fridge.</p>
<p>Nah, I don't think I'm going to need a TV or fridge; not even in the long term. Ice is for free - it's safer than a fridge in my room, and a cooler is all I need. TV - don't watch it / USB tuner always works. Microwave - nah; go electrical spoon, MRE heaters, or rice cooker.</p>
<p>I'll see how it works out with my roommate. Maybe it'll be nice.</p>
<p>I wonder if I should call up the housing office and demand an explanation for the lack of room number though. Cal really likes to make their students suffer mentally, even after applications. :/</p>
<p>I'll be living in the I-House and they don't release any information about our roommates, floors, or rooms until the minute we arrive. I can't even get them to tell me if the beds are regular twin or extra long twin. The only things I know are that we'll be two girls sharing one closet and one dresser in a tiny room, and that my roommate will not be the same nationality as me. Of course, the part about different nationalities is fine because it is one of the reasons I chose the I-House.</p>
<p>A refridgerator is a much more complicated machine than a cooler - namely, it is a cooler with a compressor, light-bulb, heat dissipater, and plug.</p>
<p>The compressor compresses air as part of the process to cool the air inside the fridge, but in the process, there is a high-pressure element. At the same time, the first law of thermodynamics must apply, so the heat extracted from the cool air must be pumped out. Now, we have a fire hazard. The light-bulb and the electric cord add to that. Plus, if there's an extended power outage, good luck to all your items in the fridge.</p>
<p>With a cooler, all you have is an insulated box and ice inside. Nature takes its course as the ice acts as a heatsink. Have enough ice, and you're good. Cheaper, safer, and more reliable.</p>