My dd attends College of Wooster. Freshmen cannot pick roommates and they use a survey to match. My dd and her roommate are friends but not bff’s. They got along really well and were both flexible even though their sleeping habits were different. It didn’t matter bc they were both considerate people. Dd is rooming with a friend for her upcoming sophomore year. Even though dd had met a bunch of people through social media after committing, the random roommate placement took a lot of pressure off as there was so much else to think about before leaving. It’s also only one year and they get to choose roommates for the remaining years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d love rave reviews or horror stories about how first year students are welcomed and supported when they start. It seems like there’s a huge range in how much orientation time they get. Also, which schools handle roommate finding well? The Facebook self-matching that happens at a lot schools seems daunting and other schools claim random matching is best.

Thoughts?

Are any teenagers on Facebook?

No, but admissions office will usually set up a FB page for newly-admitted students. Grad schools also do this. And, yes, it often becomes a source for finding roommates.

but there becomes a lot of pressure - more on girls I hear - to “curate” a “perfect” FB page to attract the “right” roommate

being a teen in the era of social media seems … exhausting

i wish collegeswould just roommate match the old way with a few questions on sleep, smoking and going out habits

It is what it is. It’s a strange thing to us, but it’s totally normal for them. We just have to let them do it the way their generation does it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d love rave reviews or horror stories about how first year students are welcomed and supported when they start. It seems like there’s a huge range in how much orientation time they get. Also, which schools handle roommate finding well? The Facebook self-matching that happens at a lot schools seems daunting and other schools claim random matching is best.

Thoughts?

Are any teenagers on Facebook?

No, but admissions office will usually set up a FB page for newly-admitted students. Grad schools also do this. And, yes, it often becomes a source for finding roommates.

but there becomes a lot of pressure - more on girls I hear - to “curate” a “perfect” FB page to attract the “right” roommate

being a teen in the era of social media seems … exhausting

i wish collegeswould just roommate match the old way with a few questions on sleep, smoking and going out habits

When I went to college in the paleolithic era, roomates were assigned unless you specifically requested someone. Other than the two girls in my dorm who had done that, we were paired up -- alphabetically.

My roommate turned out to be a lifelong friend, even though we would never have matched a single point on any survey of living styles.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d love rave reviews or horror stories about how first year students are welcomed and supported when they start. It seems like there’s a huge range in how much orientation time they get. Also, which schools handle roommate finding well? The Facebook self-matching that happens at a lot schools seems daunting and other schools claim random matching is best.

Thoughts?

Are any teenagers on Facebook?

No, but admissions office will usually set up a FB page for newly-admitted students. Grad schools also do this. And, yes, it often becomes a source for finding roommates.

Teens don’t usually have facebook, but they create one just for the purpose of joining the facebook group. When my dd graduated in 2019, she was actually shocked to find that a lot of teens in NYC actually used facebook before college groups.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d love rave reviews or horror stories about how first year students are welcomed and supported when they start. It seems like there’s a huge range in how much orientation time they get. Also, which schools handle roommate finding well? The Facebook self-matching that happens at a lot schools seems daunting and other schools claim random matching is best.

Thoughts?

Are any teenagers on Facebook?

No, but admissions office will usually set up a FB page for newly-admitted students. Grad schools also do this. And, yes, it often becomes a source for finding roommates.

Having at least one bad roommate in undergrad (whether dorm or apartment) is a rite of passage, isn't it? The terrible roommate makes you appreciate and value the good ones. It also makes you learn to assert yourself, learn how to negotiate boundaries, and learn your limits. Not that anyone wants a bad roommate experience, but it can help you develop much-needed character as a young adult.

Anonymous wrote:Somebody on this thread is fully invested in the roommate match surveys. Interesting. Do we have a university employee here?

No, I was posting as a parent...but did share what the Director for Residential life said, about which matches tend to work out better.

I think that Vanderbilt and Tufts don’t permit self-matching so you have to go through the uni’s survey and resultant roommate assignments. But this may have changed in recent years so verify.

My DS joined FB when he got accepted and has exactly 9 friends LOL but yes that is how they initially connect. Then they get onto the Insta pages for their class. My DS is also very quiet but he saw another boy post who had the exact interests (uncannily so) and reached out to him, so now they have requested to room. Hopefully they will get their request fulfilled and hopefully they will get along but yes both are somewhat introverted and found their tribe.

Anonymous wrote:The college experience truly is stacked from the start against introverts -- or I guess it just favors extroverts.

Having to put yourself out there on social media in an appealing way so someone will want to live with you seems like a lot if you're not outgoing.

The entire world is geared toward extroverts, from the cradle to the grave, but quiet kids post on Facebook groups looking for roommates too, and the other kids who are looking for a roommate like them snatch them right up.

The college experience truly is stacked from the start against introverts -- or I guess it just favors extroverts.

Having to put yourself out there on social media in an appealing way so someone will want to live with you seems like a lot if you're not outgoing.

My daughter is such a neat freak and wakes up really easily so matching on some qualities seems like it would make a big difference.

Anonymous wrote:This does describe how students FEEL, but it does not mean the choices should be based upon what they use as criteria.

It is why students are afraid to use the school's process (which is not random, it is based upon matching important compatibility criteria for living together which is different than being friends). This is likely why some schools don't allow students to choose.

I think that feelings are pretty important.
And I think that forming a friendship before you live together makes it easier, not harder.
If you actually value the relationship, you are more likely to be conscious of your habits that might annoy the other person and change them

Somebody on this thread is fully invested in the roommate match surveys. Interesting. Do we have a university employee here?