<p>Ok so I was originally gonna post this thread in "other med school topics" but from the looks of it this forum gets more traffic so here I am. lol. </p>
<p>I'm one of those people who likes to plan ahead and I've started thinking about whether or not I want to have roommate when I start med school. On the one hand I like to be around people and I'm not sure how I feel about the potential loneliness of living alone and for that reason I think I want a roommate. On the flip side I've also heard horror stories about having roommates and the drama that can go along with that. That's not something I want to be dealing with in med school. I like the idea of being able to come home to a relaxing atmosphere after a long day of lecture, studying, etc. So maybe live alone? But there's still the companionship issue. I've thought about rooming with another med student but if I end up with some neurotic type A I'll lose it. Or what if I room with another med student and they drop out? I'm SOL as far as rent and all that. Maybe another grad student like law or vet? IDK!! Any advice from current or former med students on what worked and didn't work for them would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>For the first year my D’s plan will be to try it without an apartment mate. She has her own bedroom in her on-campus apartment now and that’s lots better than a shared bedroom but thinks she’s ready for some alone time. I do want her in a complex filled with other med/grad students, near enough to campus, with safety being the primary concern for me, “garden tub” and “cat welcome” for her, followed by safety ;).</p>
<p>They do seem to put a lot of med schools in pretty …uhhh…“interesting” locations. I think a full two-bedroom with one well-vetted roomie would be best for safety’s sake, but…I rarely win these kind of discussions.</p>
<p>I live in the dorms on campus. Next year I will either move into an apartment or become a RA.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>At my DS’s med school, they have a choice of selecting 1, 2, or 3 bedroom apartments (on campus). The 2 and 3 bedroom apartments have a common living room and kitchen but separate bedrooms. The cost per month is for a 3 bedroom < 2 <1.</p>
<p>DS plans to share a 2 bedroom with a friend who has been in the same College/same Program during the course of his Bachelor’s degree and he already knows his friend’s study habits.</p>
<p>He originally wanted to have a single bedroom apartment. However, I persuaded him to go for a 2 bedroom instead. This is because I clearly recall an incident with my friend’s sister who went through a phase of depression in her first year med school. Although in her case, it had a lot to do with the high stress level she had clearly not experienced in prior life, I have always felt that there was an element of not having any one else to express herself or vent her frustrations to on a daily basis.</p>
<p>Additionally, if you have a room mate who is in the same year, it might help you to study together or go to the gym together etc. My DS who never before worked out in a gym in his entire middle school + HS life, picked up a healthy habit of working out routinely during his College years, thanks to his health-conscious room-mate! Along the way, he learnt to play a guitar from this very friend.</p>
<p>So, there are definitely many advantages of having at least one other apartment-mate. Nevertheless, it’s preferable if you can do so by selecting someone you already know.</p>