Roommate Risks: Should First-Years Go Random?

YES:

The summer before the first year of college is often full of stress. There are class schedules, orientation and dorm necessities — and, to top it all off, the question of a roommate. 

Students use apps like ZeeMee or Instagram pages to connect with fellow first-years and attempt to control their roommate selection and make friends before school begins. 

Having a random roommate can help students quickly overcome the unsettling aspects of college by pushing comfort zones early on, helping to develop crucial life skills — like empathy and problem solving, according to The Daily Cardinal. 

When I first came to Loyola, I found it difficult to push myself out of my comfort zone. Having a random roommate allowed me to share a new and uncomfortable experience with another person. We both had to adjust to one another, which taught us how to better communicate, adapt and compromise. 

Moreover, the qualities listed on a potential roommate’s online profile are only their best — they’re not reflective of the whole person. And pre-selecting a roommate also runs the risk of keeping your circle of friends small, closing you off to anyone with different interests. 

A random roommate can facilitate connections with people from different cultures and backgrounds. There are some universities — like Duke University and Dartmouth College — which have implemented a random roommate-only policy to keep students from boxing themselves in, according to The Johns Hopkins Newsletter.

Some of the general lessons include setting boundaries, compromising and navigating living with someone else, even if there are different viewpoints, according to The Daily Collegian. 

There’s also less pressure for randomly assigned roommates to become best friends. The two can simply exist in the same space, allowing for peer groups and life lessons to come more naturally. 

My experience with a random roommate is one I wouldn’t trade for the world, and I’d recommend any incoming first-year to leave the stress of finding a perfect roommate behind — go random. 

My roommate and I often joke about how we most likely wouldn’t have become friends if we hadn’t been assigned to the same room. Thank goodness we were, because otherwise I wouldn’t have met a person who means so much to me. 

Not only does deciding to have a random roommate save you stress before coming to college, it also lowers the expectations of your relationship during the school year. While a random roommate isn’t by any means a best friend guarantee, you may be as lucky as me and find a constant confidante.

NO:

There’s no shortage of weird people in this world. It’s one of the beauties of humanity — no two people are the same. But this also means humans can operate and live wildly different lives from each other. Standards and norms of living that seem outrageous to one may be completely habitual to another. 

As a beneficiary of the Loyola 2029 Instagram page, and a friend to two lovely roommates, I advise you don’t go random your first year. 

Not everyone has shared a room before coming to college, and those who did likely lived with a family member. While siblings have different personalities, these original roommates share the same upbringing, the same standards of living and the same meals — there’s a sense of shared past experiences.

First roommate experiences in college diverge significantly from rooming with a sibling. Loyola boasts a wide, diverse mix of students from not only around the country, but the globe. While two roommates obviously share a future Loyola degree, the similarities could very well end there. 

A random roommate brings no guarantees — only a strange, gut-turning uncertainty. The summer before the first year of college should be full of grad parties and good memories, not encroaching anxieties about whether your future roommate regularly cleans. 

Everyone should take advantage of the plethora of social media apps offered to help future students connect. One may not immediately discover sleeping habits or personal space preferences from an online conversation, but the foundations for a good relationship can still be materialized over text.

Aug. 21 doesn’t have to be the start of a forced, nine-month, two-semester-long relationship. At the very least, future roommates should learn each other’s names and majors. 

I could easily rattle off a number of first-year horror stories stemming from a mismatched pair of roommates. I’ll instead sum up the key takeaway of these stories into one simple phrase — don’t take the risk. Don’t let a random person ruin the college experience you’re paying thousands of dollars for. 

First-year roommates are more than just a person you share a room with — they’re a fundamental part of your college experience. Convocation, the first meal at Damen and discovering Rogers Park are all activities best done with your first-year roommate — make sure they’re someone you can see yourself being friends with. 

Not everyone in life is going to be a pleasant surprise.