Are you wondering how to find a college roommate freshman year?
Below you’ll find some of the best tips for finding a roommate, even if you have no idea where to start.
Finding a roommate for freshman year of college can be a stressful process, especially when it seems like everyone else is already pairing up with a roommate. Most colleges allow you to mutually select a specific roommate in advance.
During your freshman year, you will typically live in an on-campus dorm, and you will most likely spend a full year sharing a tiny dorm room with your roommate.
This makes finding a good roommate even more important, since you’ll be in close quarters and sharing a small space with each other.
Here are the best tips for how to find a college roommate freshman year!
Don’t forget to go through these important questions to ask a potential college roommate before you commit to living together!
1. Make a list of potential roommate qualities
One thing to do before you start looking for a college roommate is to make a list of qualities you are looking for in a potential roommate.
Ask yourself questions like:
- Do I want to live with someone who is super clean and organized, or more laidback?
- Do I want a roommate who is an early bird or a night owl?
- Do I want to live with someone who goes out and parties a lot or stays in?
- Do I want a roommate who is loud and outspoken or quiet?
Thinking about what kind of personalities you get along best with and what qualities you’re looking for in a roommate can help you know what to look for.
Of course, you’re probably going to have to compromise in some areas (no roommates will get along perfectly 100% of the time) but it’s good to have an idea of what you’re looking for.
2. Start with friends (and friends of friends)
If you have friends that are going to the same college as you, that’s an obvious place to start when it comes to finding a roommate.
You may have heard that you shouldn’t live with your high school friends in college, and there’s some truth to that. Just because you are good friends doesn’t mean you’ll be good roommates.
But if you and your friend have similar habits and you communicate clearly about your expectations, your friendship will probably be able to withstand the test of living together for a year.
If you don’t think living with your friend will work out well, or you don’t have any friends attending the same college as you, living with a friend of a friend is another option.
See if any of your friends have other friends that will be attending the same school and reach out to them about being roommates. This can be a great way to make new friends, and it’s less pressure than living with one of your good friends.
3. Tap into your larger social network
If you don’t have any friends or friends of friends that you can be roommates with, it’s time to cast a wider net and tap into your larger social network.
You might be surprised to find out that your friend from summer camp has a cousin who’s attending the same college as you, or that one of your parent’s friends has a niece who will be going to your school.
Asking family friends and acquaintances if they know of anyone attending the same school as you is a great way to find a potential college roommate freshman year.
4. Use social media
Using social media is another one of the best ways to find a college roommate freshman year. This is actually what I did, and it worked out great!
My freshman year roommate and I remained friends and lived with each other again during sophomore year when we got a larger on-campus apartment with several other girls.
Typically, when you are accepted into a college, you will be able to join an incoming freshman group chat and a freshman Facebook group. These are great places to meet other incoming freshmen and find potential roommates.
People in these groups will typically make posts about themselves and what they are looking for in a roommate. You can either respond to people based on their posts, or make a roommate-seeking post of your own.
5. Search at accepted student meet-ups and orientation
Once you’re accepted into a college, check to see if there are any local accepted student meet-ups happening. This is a great place to meet other incoming freshmen and potentially find your college roommate.
Another place you can search for a potential roommate is at your college orientation.
Many colleges have orientations beginning in the summer before classes begin, which is a time that some students will still be looking for a roommate. If you have a choice of when to attend orientation, pick the earliest option available if you can, because this will be your best chance for meeting potential roommates.
Both of these ideas are a great way to meet your potential roommate in person before you commit to living together.
6. Consider a themed dorm
Another option for finding a roommate is living in a themed dorm. Many colleges now offer themed dorms or “living and learning” communities for specific interests.
For example, your college may offer themed dorms for certain majors or demographics, or for students who are involved in specific programs or initiatives.
This can be a great way to find a built-in community as you enter college and live with like-minded students. If your college offers themed dorms, it’s worth looking into the options and determining if one of them may be a good fit for you.
7. Get a random roommate assignment
A lot of incoming freshmen are extremely averse to the idea of getting a random roommate assignment, while others don’t care at all.
If you’re reading this article, I’m guessing you’re in the former group. After all, if you’re researching how to find a college roommate freshman year, you probably DON’T want to roll the dice with a random roommate assignment.
However, this option isn’t a bad one and shouldn’t be considered a last resort. In fact, I know several people who had random roommate assignments and they ended up becoming great friends or living with each other again!
Getting a random roommate assignment can take some of the pressure off looking for a roommate. And while you and your random roommate may not become best friends, you may end up being great roommates, and sometimes that’s even better.
So don’t worry if you didn’t have time to find a roommate or couldn’t find anyone. Getting a random roommate assignment isn’t the end of the world, and it often works out better than those seemingly perfect roommate pairs who end up not getting along.
How to Find a College Roommate Freshman Year
I hope these tips on how to find a college roommate freshman year were helpful for you!
Freshman year may be your first time living with someone else, and you might be sharing a very small dorm room with that person.
Living with a roommate can be a lot of fun, but it can also come with its challenges. Following these tips will help you find a roommate as you begin your college journey!
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