<p>Sorry guys, I didn't know where this question would fit, as it doesn't really belong under "college admissions". QUESTIONS: 1) Do colleges invest adequate time into rooming two (or however many) students in a dorm, whose interests are similar, or do they just stick you with someone whose personality is the total opposite of yours? 2) What's the deal with people who demand to live in a dorm all by themselves, with no roommate(s) ? Does this cost extra, is it even allowed ? 3) Anyone have any horror/humor/nice stories about roommates they've had in the past or are currently rooming with ?</p>
<p>whoops, i meant to post this under "college admissions", didn't realize i was on "finan aid"</p>
<p>Most schools ask a few questions: if you are a morning or night person, if you are messy or neat, if you smoke, that sort of thing. They do not spend a lot of time on it.
Most freshman have to have a roommate, and it is highly recommended for helping you meet people.
You may be able to request a single for your second year, but demand can be fairly high, and every school has a different method for allocating rooms to upperclassmen. At some schools you will know right away if you got one, at others you will not find out until the middle of summer. Which is not great to find out three weeks before school starts that instead of a single you are back in a double with a new roommate.
A single does cost more.</p>
<p>This stuff depends completely on the college you go to. For example, in regard to question 1, a friend of mine was asked only one question for the purpose of matching up roommates: do you smoke? My college, on the other hand, had me fill out a one page front and back questionnaire with several free response questions like "what do you hope for in a roommate" and "list 5 things your roommate should know about you." As for the situation concerning single rooms, this too varies by campus. Some colleges offer single rooms exclusively, while at others singles are available only to students with documented disabilities. Cost issues will vary as well; some schools will charge students a hefty premium for a single room, while at other colleges (like mine, I believe) all on campus housing costs the same.</p>
<p>Sorry if this answer is less than satisfactory; the simple truth is that college housing policies vary too much to make such sweeping generalizations. The best answer could be found by visiting the websites of the colleges you are considering. You could also try posting the names of the institutions here in the hope that some CCers are familiar with the policies of the specific schools.</p>
<p>I don't think schools spend a lot of time working out roomates, it's basically pot-luck whether you get someone you are compatible with. They may ask a few questions about your preferences, but that doesn't mean they will try to give you a roomate that matches that. </p>
<p>I was one of those people that requested a room by myself. I've always had a room to myself and wasn't about to start sharing my personal space with someone else. I still had friends and a social life, I just had a room to myself at night. It usually does cost more the less people you live with, but I was more willing to pay for the added privacy.</p>
<p>Everyone has some sort of bad roomate story. After freshman year, I moved into a 2-bedroom apt with another girl from my dorm. The first year was ok, the year after that things got a little strange. She basically became nocturnal - slept through her classes during the day, woke up at about 6-7pm and stayed up watching tv until like 7-8 am. Of course I was on a normal sleeping schedule & didn't appreciate the TV on all night long (especially since she yelled at the characters on tv for doing stupid things). She got put on academic probation because her grades weren't up to snuff. Instead of trying harder, she switched majors - genetics to textiles. And her grades still aren't that hot.</p>
<p>shadowofanenigma, thanks for the post. Pearlinthemist, thanks for the "lovely story". I too want a single-only dorm when i get to college, only becuase I don't want my grades to suffer, and i don't want to be stressed all the time if my damn roommate is some kind of a wacko like the one you described. Also, room fees are part of the overall price you pay, or the price that's included in your financial aid package, so if you move into an off-campus house/apartment, and you have to pay rent, does the finan aid package allocate money for off-campus housing ?</p>
<p>If you think a roomie will screw up your grades, I hope you never entire any job that involves concentrating around other people. </p>
<p>All my friends in college already (I will be a freshman) have that for the most part, freshman who request singles are considered anti-social, weird, grades-obsessed...and a host of other non-flattering terms. I mean really, the thought behind requesting a single makes sense...you are scared of weirdos. But the thing is, to all the other people on your floor who will be swapping roomie stories, you will look like the freak you were afraid of! </p>
<p>Part of the college experience is just going for it with the roomie situation. Living with someone you hate can really build character and make for some hilarious stories to look back on. Most people get along with their roommates, but since people only tell stories about the horrific roomies, we get the impression that all roommates suck. </p>
<p>A roommate can really open your mind, expand your social network, be a resource when it comes to homework, etc. Whether you like him/her or not, you will never again share a space with a complete stranger. So why not seize the opportunity for adventure and learn something about yourself and someone else?</p>
<p>good uniforme- in response to
"so, room fees are part of the overall price you pay, or the price that's included in your financial aid package, so if you move into an off-campus house/apartment, and you have to pay rent, does the finan aid package allocate money for off-campus housing "</p>
<p>Both my and my sister's college factor in the standard double rate for what you'll be paying for housing. If you get a single, they're not going to give you more $$ to make up for the additional cost, but if you save money (a triple etc.) your fin. aid won't suffer. Again, this varies by the school. As far as off-campus housing, my fin-aid drops a little if I go off-campus (about $1000 at a 45,000/year school), while my sister's would stay the same.</p>
<p>My previous roommate never cleaned anything of his. He always pushed all of his trash to my corner of the room and then yelled at me for not cleaning up the mess (this was usually before I even SAW the mess...). He didn't believe in brushing his teeth, he thought that only people with weak teeth would need to do that. He played CS all day, I never saw him anywhere but our room playing CS. He never wanted any of the blinds up to let any natural light in because it would give him a glare on his screen. He smelled really bad because he rarely showered. He was extremely stupid (21 on ACT). He talked **** to everyone on our floor. He never stopped eating. Whenever I walked into the room (which was rarely), he was eating. He also stashed food in his bed so he could eat in the middle of the night without getting up. I'm not talking about anything like a chewy bar, no, I'm talking about <em>ING SLICED HAM... *</em>????? Our room smelled so bad, ewwww. </p>
<p>The roommate I have now is racist against white people (he's mexican), he never talks to anyone except for the mexicans. I caught him looking at porn on my computer, which was ackward. He almost broke some of my stuff (like stereo), he smells bad. Other than that, he's OK.</p>
<p>So my roommates haven't been absolutely TERRIBLE, but I hated living with both of them.</p>
<p>The joys of random roommates... that's why I requested a buddy of mine and he did the same.</p>
<p>hahaha MOOSE, sounds like something from CATCHER IN THE RYE, except worse, and more up-to-date.</p>
<p>Moose, we are going to have to call you Holden Caulfield from now on. (Great book, by the way)</p>
<p>If you have a serious medical problem you can usually get a single room. Back when I lived on campus I got one as a freshman because of my severe insomnia. I was diagnosed in February 1989, at two years and five months. That's pretty severe if you're diagnosed as having insomnia that young. Usually they just blame little kids on being their age. When all my friends would go to bed at 8PM in elementary school, I wouldn't get to bed until 10:30 and wouldn't drift off until at least 11:30, getting up at 6:30 the next morning. Now that I'm older and need more time, my average get into bed time is 1:00 and I get up at 5:45 after getting to sleep at 2:30-3:00 AM. Amazingly I don't consume caffiene at all.</p>
<p>Now that you see what I go through every day, you can understand why that would probably call for a single room. Even if I were to have a roommate, which would be an interesting experience, I think, I would probably be upset with myself if I was the cause of their inability to sleep. In fact, if anything happened to them like severe exhaustion, I'd feel horrible. So it was the decision of myself, my HS counselor, and a registered nurse that I had to have a single.</p>
<p>Also, having such a severe sleep problem would require an understanding roommate. If someone were to flip out on me because I couldn't sleep, I would have no excuse other than medical, which some people think is bogus. Only two of my friends would be able to understand this completely, and even then neither could be my roommate--one has been out of college for years and the other is a girl (and younger than me).</p>
<p>Now, as for forms--I had it down to three schools last year. All three sent me the form, and stuff like bedtime, get up time, music preference, smoking preference, etc was on there. I wish drinking preference was on there too because I could never be with a chronic drinker, even if my sleep patterns were normal. Also, decoration--if someone put pictures of naked ladies on my wall I'd have to burn them. I like my women clothed, thank you very much.</p>
<p>If you get a chance to get your roommate's contact, be it phone, e-mail, or AIM, sort out your differences before you get to college.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure when, either online or on paper, the roommate assignment is distributed, it has their email address and phone number listed... atleast that is how it is at UMD. I haven't gotten my actual assignment yet, but one of the student advisors says thats how it happens. It's not even really meant for working out differences, but I guess that is a good use.. it is meant to allow you to discuss who is bringing what and thus reducing the stress of the university and student/parent on move in day, which is already high as it is (I'd imagine).</p>