It would be great if someone compiled a list of how top schools handle freshman roommates. It really says a lot about the school.

Everyone here is so obsessed acting like experts and analyzing which school has a better econ department or sends more kids to Wall Street. I think how they handle freshman roommates is just as important (assuming the schools are relatively similar academically).

I think random is the only way to go. I was assigned a random roommate. Our neighbor walked in the first day and said "this is a disaster waiting to happen." Despite looking completely different we both grew up in similar socioeconomic backgrounds and with similar values of being easy-going and kind to others, so we got along great - didn't live together after that year but still keep in touch 30+ years later.

Is her instagram showing her personality? Like is there a few posts on there with her friends etc? I’m not talking about some crazy, fake persona but these girls are all looking to see if they are a fit for each other and judging based on what little they can find online.

A lot of schools' random processes don't match by compatibility anymore

I really liked random! I wouldn't have picked the girls I roomed with, but it was nice to have friends outside of my own social circle.

My daughter has the choice of IG or complete random (not matching by school). She is t looking for a best friend. Just a compatible roommate. I am leaving it to her. But I don’t envy her. I preferred my 1980’s era college questionnaire and random match. So. Much. Easier. Im pretty sure I would have w withdrawn if I had to do IG to get a roommate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine is looking for a roommate b/c that approach gives the student the feeling of being more in control. The reason this matters is their school has two options for rooms - pick your own* or be randomly assigned. There are two dorms on a separate campus and "it's fine and freshman end up being really close", but then people also tell you to try to get on main campus. So...... It gets nerve-wracking thinking that random assignment means being on the bussed campus.

*Caveat - Pick your own doesn't guarantee there will be rooms available in the more desirable dorms, but this is new this year, so there is a lot of unknowns about the process.

Everyone knows you're talking about Umich btw.

My son went random (but filled out questionnaire) last year as a Umich freshman and got a gem of a roommate (on central campus, but they were both in a learning community). Agreed that the new process for fall 2025 has a lot of unknowns. My guess is that they're getting a head start on the process of however they plan to do things for fall 2026 when the new dorms open.

Well, not everyone knew before. :p

I've tried to convince DC to join a learning community, but I'm not getting too far. Any chance he was in MRAD?

PP. No, it was a different one. (Had to look up MRAD.) My kid was also very resistant to the learning community thing, and we more or less forced him. He ended up having a fairly positive experience with it. (And yeah, it was a bit of a play on his/our part not to get relegated to north campus.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine is looking for a roommate b/c that approach gives the student the feeling of being more in control. The reason this matters is their school has two options for rooms - pick your own* or be randomly assigned. There are two dorms on a separate campus and "it's fine and freshman end up being really close", but then people also tell you to try to get on main campus. So...... It gets nerve-wracking thinking that random assignment means being on the bussed campus.

*Caveat - Pick your own doesn't guarantee there will be rooms available in the more desirable dorms, but this is new this year, so there is a lot of unknowns about the process.

Everyone knows you're talking about Umich btw.

My son went random (but filled out questionnaire) last year as a Umich freshman and got a gem of a roommate (on central campus, but they were both in a learning community). Agreed that the new process for fall 2025 has a lot of unknowns. My guess is that they're getting a head start on the process of however they plan to do things for fall 2026 when the new dorms open.

Well, not everyone knew before. :p

I've tried to convince DC to join a learning community, but I'm not getting too far. Any chance he was in MRAD?

My DD went through this last year and it was miserable. All the girls she connected with already had roommates and she was really discouraged. She ended up going random and it could not have gone better. They are a perfect match in terms of living together and became great friends. Living together next year as well. My son, however, found a roommate immediately based on shared interests, and what do you know, they did not work as roommates. It's honestly a crap shoot either way.

Anonymous wrote:Mine is looking for a roommate b/c that approach gives the student the feeling of being more in control. The reason this matters is their school has two options for rooms - pick your own* or be randomly assigned. There are two dorms on a separate campus and "it's fine and freshman end up being really close", but then people also tell you to try to get on main campus. So...... It gets nerve-wracking thinking that random assignment means being on the bussed campus.

*Caveat - Pick your own doesn't guarantee there will be rooms available in the more desirable dorms, but this is new this year, so there is a lot of unknowns about the process.

Everyone knows you're talking about Umich btw.

My son went random (but filled out questionnaire) last year as a Umich freshman and got a gem of a roommate (on central campus, but they were both in a learning community). Agreed that the new process for fall 2025 has a lot of unknowns. My guess is that they're getting a head start on the process of however they plan to do things for fall 2026 when the new dorms open.

Anonymous wrote:Mine is looking for a roommate b/c that approach gives the student the feeling of being more in control. The reason this matters is their school has two options for rooms - pick your own* or be randomly assigned. There are two dorms on a separate campus and "it's fine and freshman end up being really close", but then people also tell you to try to get on main campus. So...... It gets nerve-wracking thinking that random assignment means being on the bussed campus.

*Caveat - Pick your own doesn't guarantee there will be rooms available in the more desirable dorms, but this is new this year, so there is a lot of unknowns about the process.

This sounds like Duke except they bus all freshman to a separate campus. I would be really annoyed if only some freshman were separate and there were perceived ways to game the system. No wonder your kid is stressed!

Mine is looking for a roommate b/c that approach gives the student the feeling of being more in control. The reason this matters is their school has two options for rooms - pick your own* or be randomly assigned. There are two dorms on a separate campus and "it's fine and freshman end up being really close", but then people also tell you to try to get on main campus. So...... It gets nerve-wracking thinking that random assignment means being on the bussed campus.

*Caveat - Pick your own doesn't guarantee there will be rooms available in the more desirable dorms, but this is new this year, so there is a lot of unknowns about the process.

My random roommate story: Back in the 1980s we couldn't choose roommates and were randomly assigned. Fast forward 40 years later, we both moved from the Midwest to the DMV at separate times several years after college and now live just three miles apart. We're still friends, getting together almost weekly.

DD chose to live with a friend from HS, which has its own caveats. They were warned never to do this, but in the end decided it relieved one major stressor during an already stressful year. They have very different interests, and each wants to branch out socially, so I'm hoping it will work out.

I have heard so many disasters from the girls who pick through IG. All it does is heighten the expectation you will be friends and then when it blows up, it's 100x worse.

Also the wealth signaling (among other things) on the IG posts where they are looking for roommates is heinous.

Colleges should require everyone is random.

DD picked two and worked out well, but agree it’s stressful. So is random. First night of summer orientation she stayed randomly and didn’t like it.