im an incoming college freshman and i have a little over a week to choose my room arrangement for next year. my financial aid package pays for a double (rooming with one other person) and I was planning on living in a double and rolling the dice with a good roommate (random selection, as I have no male friends going to college with me from HS to room with)... but after taking a college visit, it seemed that everyone with a double was just okay with it or hated it while the people with singles living on their own seemed pretty happy. after that, i'm beginning to doubt myself and wonder if i should cough up the extra grand to live in a single. i tried looking in the fb group for class of 2015 for potential roommates that i could skype or whatever but there really wasn't anyone...
so i was wondering how TLers experiences with roommates / living in a single were in college and which type of rooming i should pick for the next year. im not sure how it works at most schools, but at my college all the freshmen basically are forced to live in the same area of campus so ill be surrounded by my entire grade no matter what.
I actually had a great experience with a double my freshman year. I absolutely loved my roommate and we decided to live together in a double next year too even over a single. To be honest I like living with another person. So I would suggest a double for sure I don't really know too many people who have really bad experiences with it, and I love it
I would just double. It's a good chance to make a good friend and it's a nice way to gain new interests etc especially when you are coming into college with none to begin with. I might be biased because my experience was good, but if anything goes wrong you can always request a change or just don't talk a lot with your room mate and sort of ignore him.
Living alone has its pluses too but it's nice to start off with someone you can talk to. Who knows, maybe he will become a good friend.
Well, even if you don't really like your roommate, there's nothing that says you have to talk to them. My current roommate and I rarely talk and just hang out with our own separate friends. Just make sure you keep some common courtesies, or you'll find yourself in a single very quickly. Go for the double.
i fucking HATED living with another person in my room as freshman. i would say go single but i guess it really depends on what sorta person you are.
negative side: lack of privacy, you could hate the guy, have to put up with his schedule (if he wakes up early or stays up late, so do you), YOU HAVE ANOTHER PERSON LIVING IN YOUR ROOM
plus side: you could be really good friends, probably will be easier to meet other people (IE meet his friends and stuff etc)
My roommate and I were both engineers, worked our asses off, had wildly swinging daily schedules, and our living arrangement was a mess.
If you can't specify your roommate, get a single. Don't risk the huge downside potential, which can fuck with your sleep, your mental health, and your studies.
I'd say double and take a chance going pot-luck (random). There's a chance that your roommate might be terrible, but a better chance that he will be a cool/acceptable guy. I've had a hit and miss the two years I had random roommates, but it really didn't affect me that much.
Are you an outgoing person? If so I would definitely recommend doubling up.
I took a chance, got a random, was a cool guy to live with. Decided to live with him again. Big fucking mistake. I know this isnt really related to OP but dont live with friends.
Just a story that happened.
Me: *After I woke up with a headache*
Roommate: Hey you mind if I play music?
Me: Yeah I do. My head is hurting alot.
Roommate: oh ok, I'll just play some country then.
Fuck you bitch. Fuck roommates. Single all the way. It is a fucking hassel trying to find shit in the morning and you cant turn on the lights because your roommate is a little bitch.
College is as much about growing socially as intellectually. Get a roommate. If you like them it's fantastic, if you don't it's something you have to learn to deal with anyway because you may have roommates for the next for the next few years of your life anyway.
I'd advice against it. Living with someone entails a level of stress (even if it small) that will become really hard to deal with as studies get hard. I'll rather completely avoid putting up with any amount of shit while dealing with clases, even though it is like 1 time a week or smth it will build up. Or, if you become friends, you will end up drinking at ur room with other people more often than not and eventually fail ur grades and get fat (that would happen to me at least =( )
You're going to hear two stories: People with good or OK roommates will tell you to double, people with shitty roommates are going to tell you to go for the single. You are rolling the dice with a double, no question. I think if you're a social person it doesn't matter if you get a single, you'll meet other people in your building/dorm anyway. My roommates in college were OK, but I became really good friends with other people in my dorm who I wasn't rooming with. A single is safer, if you're worried about meeting people just be social and you'll be fine.
On April 21 2011 15:52 Zim23 wrote: You're going to hear two stories: People with good or OK roommates will tell you to double, people with shitty roommates are going to tell you to go for the single. You are rolling the dice with a double, no question. I think if you're a social person it doesn't matter if you get a single, you'll meet other people in your building/dorm anyway. My roommates in college were OK, but I became really good friends with other people in my dorm who I wasn't rooming with. A single is safer, if you're worried about meeting people just be social and you'll be fine.
Since college is a place to grow, do the crazy thing: whatever is most uncomfortable with you.
You may get a roommate you don't like, but you're going to be interacting with people who you don't like for the rest of your life. Might as well learn how to do that now while life is still easy.
Well I'm a college freshman now and just a couple quick things about the people I know/my experience. I recommend getting your own room.: + Show Spoiler +
1) I went random and, well, I guess it's okay. My room mate really is a complete d-bag quite often....not exactly to me personally, but just in general. Like he's a d-bag on facebook to his friends (I defriended him, because I don't seeing douchey comments or just someone "liking" everything you write) and he is legitimately the most judgemental person I've ever known. But he isn't going around insulting me or whatever so that's a plus. For instance, all the current seniors in high school he pretty much insulted anyone who said "Got into X school!" or "Going to X!" statuses/posts, calling whatever school it was shitty or stupid or useless even if it was fine. So it's not bad to me personally, just I don't like the idea of someone being that douchey. 2) Don't expect if you do something considerate that he will respond. For instance, I always use heaphones when listening to music/w/e. Both of us are on the computer constantly, but I ALWAYS use headphones. He pretty much never does. Make sure you make rules early--when I ask him "hey, can you use headphones" he'll just say "you didn't have a problem with it before, so no." Like wtf, if I'm doing work and I ask you to use headphones or going to bed just use them. 3) Expect some weird habits you may not consider. My roommate continues to talk to me after I've gone to bed. I'll be up in my bed, sleeping, and he'll just continue talking as if we were going to start a conversation. No. I'm in my bed. Trying to sleep. Don't just continue talking. Even if he's going to bed. Lights are off, etc etc, and he just says something like "you know, gravity doesn't make sense" or some shit like that and try to say something philosophical that makes no damn sense. And continues to talk about it for lengthy periods of time while I'm trying to sleep. EDIT for #4) not that anyone will read this, but instruments. Played all the time man. I mean, he's not bad at guitar or whatever, but I don't like having a guy playing guitar all the time trying to sing random ass songs. Those "whiny" hipsteresque songs (um, he plays whatsitsface, um, ska? bands all the time. Streetlight manifesto is the band he loves that is really rather whiny imo. At least after the 100th time hearing it.
But I think I just got a bad draw. The other people I know are like follows: 1 guy is just chill w/ his roommate. AFAIK they have no problems. 3 other people have roommates that always go to the frat--2 of those left the room to go to the frat so they have a room to themselves now. But those roommates just went their separate ways--they never interacted. Which is fine. They did their thing, you do yours. W/e.
My biggest fear was I'd get some "Frat guy" that always came back drunk or something. Those guys are actually pretty chill if that's all they do if they're quiet about it (that's what is the case with 1 of my friends). Other people are much worse.
I wanted to kill my roommate by the end of my freshmen year. One of the weirdest guys I've ever met in my entire life and I was stuck rooming with him.. If you can't find a match on FB or through chatting with em, I'd take a single. I didn't have an option for a single freshmen year, but I'd have snatched it up in a heartbeat.
EPT
