<p>Is anyone else surprised at how little information the housing application asked for in terms of trying to match you with a compatible roommate? My d. is surprised because she said that all the schools that her friends are attending asked extensive questions about personality, work habits, music preferences, neatness, etc. and she said that all Cornell asked was "When do you go to bed?" and "Do you want co-ed or single sex?" She wants a roommate, but she's afraid that she will get put with somebody that she's completely incompatible with and that some of that might be avoided by a more detailed matching system. Are roommate assignments really just completely random?</p>
<p>I suppose it is. But this isn’t entirely untoward. A friend of mine who will be attending Brown University this fall tells me that the university matches up people who are complete opposites - that is, based on the roommate survey questionnaire, they take two completely different people, as different as possible and schlepp 'em together. I guess Cornell’s system seems reasonable by comparison.</p>
<p>Even if the questionnaire is more detailed it’s impossible to find a roommate who will be an ‘ideal’ match for you. I think you should just roll with it.</p>
<p>The housing application definitely asks for more details than that.</p>
<p>It asks about music, sleep schedules, personal habits & hygiene, neatness, and how social you are as well…</p>
<p>When I filled out the housing survey it definitely asked more in depth questions regarding music choice, personality, social habits, etc. </p>
<p>However, I found my room mate (or the person I requested to be my room mate) using the Cornell 2014 facebook group and it was RIDICULOUSLY helpful. I was able to talk with many different people and learn about their lifestyles, habits, likes, dislikes, etc. before deciding. Also, I’ve heard from upperclassmen and alum that a strong effort is made to place requested room mates together. Perhaps your D may have better luck pursuing this route =]</p>
<p>I agree with wisdom86. I found my roommate through the Cornell 2013 facebook group and we were great together. I know some people who took the random route and hated their roommate(s) (Like, literally LOATHED to the point where they would sabotage their sleep and study schedules) and others who wound up best friends. Your daughter’s safest bet is to find one herself; that way there’s only one person to blame if she isn’t compatible.</p>
<p>I personally think that the only factor that they truly look at on the housing form is neatness. I’ve seen people who are almost total opposites (different social circles, study habits, etc) get put together, with the only thing they have in common being their level of organization. So if your daughter really can’t stand to live with a messy person, have her select the strongest option on the “neat” end of the scale.</p>
<p>That being said, I’d say that the whole housing process can be pretty arbitrary. I applied for a double and got a single; meanwhile I know tons of people who asked for singles and received doubles or triples. I ended up being extremely happy where they placed me, but it all depends.</p>
<p>Two points: 1) Once you’re assigned a roommate, you can view their answers to their survey. Mine is almost a perfect match. 2) I spent a lot of time looking at the questionnaires that other colleges use, and I found that Cornell’s was one of the more exhaustive. Seriously, one college asked one question - do you smoke? Most only asked 2-4 questions. Cornell’s, I thought, asked the questions I cared most about - sleep schedules, study habits, music likes/dislikes, smoking?, do I play an instrument?, and more. Not exactly bare bones!</p>
<p>I don’t know if I had bad experiences with these, but my roomates were nothing like me. A lot of people lie of how neat they are and when they go to bed. Please dont’ expect a perfect match.</p>
<p>Turns out to have been completely irrelevant single d was assigned a single. Maybe she was too messy to pair up with anyone, LOL!</p>
<p>I agree. Cornell really needs to do a better job of matching roommates. Harvard and Yale handpick roomie. officials actually read essays and match people who are compatible but also have diverging interests so that they may learn new things from each other. That’s how strong classes are made and the whole college experience is made wholistic.
I think Cornell needs to adopt such a system as well. The present system seems ridiculous to me, its something a public school would use. Cornell as an Ivy League school needs to improve its housing options and roommate selections procedures.</p>