Features

Hunt for the perfect match: how seniors are finding college roommates

Marina Engler ’21, Staff writer|March 22, 2021

As seniors begin to commit to college they are faced with a new endeavor of finding a roommate. Many have taken to social media to make connections and find someone to live with.

Facebook, an app viewed by many in our generation as dead, has recaptured the attention of many high school seniors now that the college selection process is in full motion. For many, moving to college signifies the first time in years having to meet new people and find new friends. Seniors have now come face to face with a new endeavor: finding a roommate.

Some seniors like Elana Lundbye ’21, who is attending the University of Miami next year, have already had luck in finding a roommate.

“I thankfully already found my roommate and it was actually a really fun process,” Lundbye said. “I definitely have a very talkative, friendly personality so talking to all of the new people I’m going to school with next year was super exciting for me.”

However, some seniors who have also committed to their school do not have the option to choose their roommate. Emma Zhu ’21, who is attending NYU next year, only knows that her roommate will not be from Connecticut as her school implements a random but diverse by location roommate process. Zhu believes this makes entering freshman year more stressful.

“It’s hard not knowing who you are going to spend your first year with,” Zhu said. “I am also not entirely sure what type of lifestyle of a roommate I prefer, so I am super nervous about this decision.”

Those who have not yet committed to a school have also found themselves getting a head start on the roommate selection process.

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“Finding a roommate seems like a stressful process and given that I’m a pretty organized and planned person I kinda feel like I need to be starting now,

— Daphne Baker ’21

“Finding a roommate seems like a stressful process and given that I’m a pretty organized and planned person I kinda feel like I need to be starting now,” Daphne Baker ’21 said.

The most common way that seniors are looking for potential roommates is through Facebook groups that are set up by each college and university, designed to allow incoming freshmen the opportunity to meet new people in their class.

“I’ve been looking for a roommate mostly through social media,” Nicole Hackett ’21 said. “Mainly through the college’s Facebook page and Snapchat.”

Although this does allow for connection to be made, some find it difficult to really get to know people’s personality. Many seniors have ditched the idea of becoming best friends with their roommate next year as they see it as an unattainable standard to hold.

“I don’t think there is pressure to become best friends with your roommate,” Lundbye said. “I definitely know a couple of people who are friends with their roommate but not best friends which I think is totally ok.”

However, others believe the opposite and see having a strong connection with their roommate as important.

“I definitely think that there is some pressure to become best friends with your roommate,” Baker said.

However, Baker believes that as long as she can coexist with her roommate next year, being best friends would be an added bonus.

“I would want to be best friends with my roommate but expectations need to be adjusted,” Baker said. “And honestly if I can just find someone who I want to live with and share a space with, that’s good enough for me.”