Anonymous wrote:I chose a single room when I went to college. It wasn't as lonely as it seems. When I was feeling social, I'd just leave my door open and the girls on the floor could stop by. I became the best of friends with the girl across the hall whose door opened directly across from mine. It was almost like we were roommates, but with a great privacy option. If your kid is worried about who they might end up with, it's not a lonely, undesirable option.

I would have *loved* that option, but my college didn't have singles for freshmen. As it was, I got paired with a horrible girl from Bethesda (at a NE university). I ended up moving out and staying with my boyfriend for much of the year. That worked out really well

Here is hoping my kids make better choices!

When I went to college, we got a checklist of likes and dislikes. I was matched with someone. It was a disaster.

They forgot to ask "on a scale of one to ten, how do you feel about living with a Jew?"

Turns out she had some serious issues with people like me. It took me until Christmas for the university to rematch me.

I chose a single room when I went to college. It wasn't as lonely as it seems. When I was feeling social, I'd just leave my door open and the girls on the floor could stop by. I became the best of friends with the girl across the hall whose door opened directly across from mine. It was almost like we were roommates, but with a great privacy option. If your kid is worried about who they might end up with, it's not a lonely, undesirable option.

Anonymous wrote:DD's friend at a Top 20 school had a roommate with some weird OCD issues who presented her with a contract to sign on their first day describing what behaviors were acceptable. Needless to say, friend ran to the RA and got out of that situation ASAP.

Are you, by chance, Dr. Beverly Hofstader?

My kids all found their roommates thru the class Facebook page. It goes like this:
Sally posts a brief intro about herself on the page: "hi, I'm Sally from Blah Blah, NY. I'm a business major and like basket weaving, dog bone making, and staying up late. I take my work seriously but also like to go out."
Lucy sees Sally's post, thinks they have some things and common, and messages Sally. The two get to talking and ask each other various questions- night v. morning, party vs. no party, messy or organized, etc. If they seem like a good match, they request to room with one another (most colleges give you the option of selecting 'I have a roommate I would like to live with' or 'Random roommate') and voila.

It worked out for all of them.

Anonymous wrote:When filling out the roommate information, is it taboo to put you're straight? DC knows that it's possible to get a gay roommate and is okay but wants it known upfront where DC stands so there're no misunderstandings. Also, DC has totally axed having a transgender roommate. I'm not so sure if you are given a choice.

I am bumping this thread so not to start a new one on this volatile subject. DC does not want a transgender roommate either and has the exact same feelings and expectations like your DC. Now, along with looking at college websites for academics, partying, library hours, etc, DC is now looking at housing requirements and expectations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At DD's university (and many others) the students find their own roommates through their own Facebook group questionnaire. Once they pair up, then they request each other as roommates through the school's housing survey. Some prefer to go random, but DD was not going to take that risk.

All I can see coming out of this is all of the introverted students refusing to take part and ending up with a randomly selected roomie by default.

But it could work for the introverted student too by minimizing the surprise factor.

Speaking as an introvert (100% I on Myers Briggs! ), I can tell you that this would have backfired if it had existed when I was entering college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At DD's university (and many others) the students find their own roommates through their own Facebook group questionnaire. Once they pair up, then they request each other as roommates through the school's housing survey. Some prefer to go random, but DD was not going to take that risk.

All I can see coming out of this is all of the introverted students refusing to take part and ending up with a randomly selected roomie by default.

But it could work for the introverted student too by minimizing the surprise factor.

Anonymous wrote:At DD's university (and many others) the students find their own roommates through their own Facebook group questionnaire. Once they pair up, then they request each other as roommates through the school's housing survey. Some prefer to go random, but DD was not going to take that risk.

All I can see coming out of this is all of the introverted students refusing to take part and ending up with a randomly selected roomie by default.

Anonymous wrote:At DD's university (and many others) the students find their own roommates through their own Facebook group questionnaire. Once they pair up, then they request each other as roommates through the school's housing survey. Some prefer to go random, but DD was not going to take that risk.

I like this concept. It eliminates the total stranger aspect and gives an opportunity for time for introduction. Not a big Facebook fan but this is when it really earns its keep.