Things to Consider in Picking your Roommate: 

Authors: Becky Sharpe, Kelsey Moffitt, Kelsey Smith, Cassandra Dicken, Natalie Briggs, Devin Mattlin, and Tessa Vermeul

Getting along with your roommate is a real concern, and one a high school student may be facing for the first time.  If you're lucky enough to be able to pick your roommate, you will want to ensure that your lifestyles will be compatible. Here are some things to consider when picking your roommate:

• Neatness: If you're a neat freak you might want to consider finding a roommate who shares your passion for cleanliness
• Quiet Time: Does your roommate like to party or go to bed early? Make sure that they have a similar agenda. Set boundaries for parting; who can come, how many, what will be served and how long they are welcome. Respect each other's wishes to party or have some quite time and chances are they'll return the favor.
• Borrowing Items: Establish which of your personal items your roommate can and cannot use.
• Best Friends: Rooming with a friend can be a very dangerous idea. After all, there is a great chance that being in close quarters with this person will ruin your friendship. However, if you're used to being around this person for extended periods of time and feel confident that the rooming situation will work out, go for it! 

Unfortunately, not everyone has the option of picking their own roommate. If this is the case, here is a list of ways to ensure that you two get along: 

• Pick a Side: Pick a side of the room. Stay on that side of the room. Don't use anything on the other side of the room without permission.
• Establish Rules: Draw up a contract in which both of you can agree on the following-
1. Pick a quiet time in which you both agree to study, sleep, and keep the noise down. You can make exceptions on the weekends.
2. Make sure both roommates consent to having a party/visitors.
3. Establish visiting hours of the opposite sex.
4. Decide if you want to share the responsibility of groceries or just buy your own.
5. Establish a standard of cleanliness that your dorm room should meet.   

Having a more difficult time with a troublesome roommate? Click this link: Roommate Troubleshooting for help and more information! Or go HERE for some "helpful" hints. 

Residence Halls

By Natalie Briggs

Most colleges require students to live on campus during their first year, if not longer. Students have the option of becoming part of a sorority, fraternity, same-sex or co-ed dorms. Upon being accepted to a college/university, students need to fill out applications if they wish to recieve on-campus housing. Here's a link to the University of Washington's page regarding undergraduate housing http://www.hfs.washington.edu/student_housing/residence_halls.aspx?id=4330.

Many colleges have residence halls devoted to similar areas of study. The University of Washington calls these halls "Theme Communites." Go here http://www.hfs.washington.edu/student_housing/residence_halls.aspx?id=6000 to find out more about them.

More and more colleges are beginning to develop housing in the Harry Potter style. The University of Chicago in particular prides itself in offering "houses" for undergraduate students to become a part of. To learn more, go here http://housing.uchicago.edu/Housing-Admissions%20Booklet%2011.09.pdf

As far as sororities and fraternities go... well, you can watch this video to find out how to become a member  http://www.howcast.com/videos/99987-How-To-Get-Into-a-Fraternity-or-Sorority

Whichever means of housing you're interested in, make sure to apply early. Available housing on many college campuses can quickly run out.

Check out some Q&As with college students concerning dorms here:  

College Students- What Do They Do Tell Us

Also check out Pros and Cons of Residence Halls

Works Cited:

DiBerardo, Anthony. "199 Days to Piss Off Roommate." Life is a Joke. Life is a Joke, n.d. Web. 6

     Jun. 2009.

McMurray, Kara. Personal Interview. 5 Jun. 2009.

Roommate Survey. Residential Education Office, San Diego State University, n.d. Web. 6 Jun. 2009.

"Roommate Quiz." Nebraska Wesleyan University, n.d. Web. 4 Jun. 2009.

Authors:

Becky Sharpe- Researcher

Cassandra Dicken- Interviewer

Kelsey Smith- Researcher

Kelsey Moffitt- Researcher

Return to the FrontPage