<p>I've been accepted ED 1 at George Washington and am currently thinking about housing. I am strongly considering getting a single dorm, as I, in all honesty, don't get along with a significant minority of people. But I met a good guy who I'm considering as a roommate. Which one should I go with? Are people lonely alone or are they just as social as everyone else? Do most people get along with their roommates or do they always end up hating them? </p>
<p>I really recommend getting a roommate the first year. Even if its hard to deal with them, it teaches you how to live with someone. Conflict resolution skills, etc. </p>
<p>After the first year, then I think its okay getting a single. I like my alone time, so I am going for a single next year even though i’m a transfer student.</p>
<p>When I clicked on this thread, I was thinking GET A SINGLE. Mainly because I personally find having a roommate to be one of the most annoying things in existence. But I guess I have learned a lot about compromising and sharing a space with another person. So I guess it’s a valuable lesson. But not a fun lesson to learn at all.</p>
<p>I will never have a roommate again. But I would never live in the dorms past freshman year.</p>
<p>Get a roommate. It teaches you, like someone else mentioned, conflict resolution skills. It also emphasizes the importance of clothes (i.e., not walking around nude all the time) and personal boundaries, both of which a lot of people seem to have issues with.</p>
<p>Not everyone needs the “learn from having a roommate” experience. The bad roommate stories consistently posted more than prove not everyone will actually learn any skills from this experience anyways.</p>
<p>It’s a personal decision to choose a single or a roommate situation and it is one you have to make for yourself. The suggestions people will give you are based on what they felt was best for them.</p>
<p>For me, a single was the correct choice. For you, this might be the right choice or it might not be. Think about what you need to do well in school and be a healthy person. If you can survive a roommate, it is usually a cheaper option. If you want the experience (keyword: want), then go for that. If you want or have real needs to have your own space, go for a single.</p>
<p>I think that unless you are a REALLY independent (note: I said independent, not someone who likes to isolate themselves), mature person, I would not get a single. After the first semester or year, please, go for it, but before then, there is a lot to learn from college and from roommates that you may not know, already.</p>
<p>If you are dead set in getting a single, sure, get one…better than entering a roommate situation with a bad attitude. But I think freshman year, while your classes are still easy, is a good time to get some basic college/life skills down.</p>
<p>I’ve had both, and I strongly prefer the single. Having a roommate means you won’t have a single place in college where you can get a bit of privacy.</p>
<p>I’m in my 3rd year of college and I currently have a single (I’m working in an RA-type position). I hate being in a single…my floor is not very social at all, they are always quiet and keep to themselves all the time. My first year, I roomed blind and my roommate turned out to be my best friend in college (who I am living with again next year). I’d highly recommend getting a roommate your first year, especially if you are a social person (or want to be a social person). It is just easier to meet people that way…even if you don’t particularly like your roommate. Many people realize after their first year that they can’t stand living with another person, but many also realize that it is a great experience.</p>
<p>Get a roommate. I went pot-luck this year and ended up with some cool guys. Next year I’ll be on campus again with three more roommates whom I’ve picked. It was cool to have someone to go to dinner with for the first few weeks while everyone is settling in. I recommend it.</p>
<p>I’m gonna go against the grain and say get a single. The “oh, you need a roommate to get friends in college!” is bull****. I could just be jaded, since all three of my former roommates have been absolutely terrible.</p>
<p>^I kinda agree. You don’t need roommates to get friends. Me and my roommates aren’t friends. I made all of my friends outside of my roommates. I would say this though, it might take you a while. It took me a semester to find my “group.”</p>
<p>Okay, i guess i have a bit different situation, i’ve been at boarding school for the past year and a half, been through the whole roommate mess, but I know absolutely nobody that I will be going to college with. Should I get a single or a double? And what if the college offers a single with a shared bathroom? That kind of seems like a nice compromise?</p>
<p>I had a single my freshman year and I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything at all. I socialized with my neighbors the way that other students might socialize with their roommates, but I had the big advantage that I could close the door on my neighbors anytime. I didn’t have to deal with puking roommates, coughing and sneezing roommates, stealing roommates, messy or obsessively clean roommates, sexiling roommates, roommates who are making noise when I want to study or sleep, roommates dealing with personal drama the night before my big exam, etc. </p>
<p>When I later got a roommate, I found that I used my room much differently. When I lived by myself, I had the room to myself whenever I wanted. With a roommate, I had to find other places to study and coordinate my sleep schedule with my roommate. I also had to be much more concerned about keeping the room at least moderately clean at all times, I couldn’t have smelly food in the room anymore, and finding good times to masturbate or having significant others over got a real pain in the neck too.</p>
<p>My favorite living arrangement is a single in a suite or an apartment, where I share a common room (and maybe kitchen) with other people. It’s social when I want it to be social, but I can retreat back to my room at any time.</p>
<p>If you feel like you must live in a double, at least make sure that you have similar sleeping schedules. (What if you had an 8am class and while he didn’t have to get up until noon? Would he let you sleep at a reasonable time, or would he stay up and do stuff <em>in the room</em> until 4am at night?) Sleep deprivation due to an inconsiderate roommate can tank your grades for the year.</p>
<p>I am a freshman and I live in a single suite. So I have roommates, but we all have our own rooms & share a bathroom and common room.</p>
<p>I love having my own room. I seriously can’t imagine having someone in the same room as me ALL the time. </p>
<p>You won’t miss out on the social aspect if you put yourself out there and join an org or meet your neighbors. I joined a sorority and love it. and I barely hang out with the people I live with, so having a single does not affect your social life :)</p>