Roommate matching

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I will not be able to access my housing application for a couple of days, so I do not know if there is a roommate survey (or similar) on the application. If one does not exist, how are roommates matched/paired? Is the process random?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>There is a roommate survey. It asks a few simple questions such as whether you smoke, how clean you are, when you go to sleep, etc.</p>

3

<p>Do most people use the roommate matching system? Or is it better to try and find your own roommates (on facebook, ect) since it gives you a better chance to get into the dorm/building you want?</p>

4

<p>I will say this: the roommate survey is incredibly basic. There’s no way you can expect a compatible roommate with it, but these are the kinds of questions that, while they may not be an indicator of a good friend, they help match you with a good roommate.</p>

<p>Here are the questions they ask:</p>

<p>Which type of floor environment would you prefer? (answers are Single-Sex, Coed, or either)
Smoking is prohibited in all facilities. Do you plan to smoke outside the facilities?
I don’t mind living with someone who smokes (true or false).
I usually get up in the morning at (answers range from 6 AM/earlier to 10 AM/later).
I usually go to bed at (answers range from 10 PM/earlier to 2 AM/later).
What level of priority do you place on keeping your room neat and clean?
I would like a roommate who is around much of the time (agree or disagree).
Are you comfortable with sharing your belongings?</p>

5

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<p>Would you recommend acquainting oneself with a potential roommate over Facebook, etc. (as classicalbang suggested) over filling out this roommate survey?</p>

6

<p>I couldn’t give accurate advice on the matter as I’m an incoming freshman myself. Hopefully someone comments who has found a roommate online rather than through the matching system.</p>

<p>I have heard to not room with any high school friends, as you may tend to stick with them rather than branching out and meeting new people. Seems like sound advice but everyone’s situation is different.</p>

7

<p>Yeah. I roomed with my friend from high school for my freshman year. It ended up kind of sucking, and we ended up drifting apart quite a bit. College is a big transition, and freshman year is kind of weird for everyone (especially first semester). Room with your high school friends your sophomore year instead, if you really want to. By then, people have themselves “figured out,” and the risk of ruining a friendship is much lower.</p>

8

<p>petrovich, My D’s experience using Facebook worked out really well for her. We’re from CA but she attends Boston College and she met someone from PA on Facebook. My S, who is also an incoming Freshman at Cal like yourself, opted to choose a fellow HS roommate. </p>

<p>I don’t think that there is just a one best answer here, but I would tend to trust my own instincts over those at the college housing office.</p>