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.
Go for a single, there are so many little things you'll be sad you can't do when there is another person living in your room, even if you like your roommate. For example, It really sucks when you have to wake up in the morning and are forced to get ready in the dark because your roommate is sleeping, or not being able to go to bed whenever (well you can but you're kind of screwing your roommate over if you go to bed early or way late). I lived in a double my freshman year and I was fine with my roommate, I didn't hate him but we aren't friends, but I def would have preferred to live in a single.
I feel like having a roommate at least once in your life is a valuable experience... singles are definitely nice and all, but if you haven't had a roommate before, definitely try it out!
Go single to save your sanity, its a complete diceroll and honestly their are other ways to meet people other then having a roommate, and by going double you risk getting a terrible roommate which could make your life living hell.
Having grown up sharing a room with four younger siblings, I have no problem with rooming with /one/ other person. I had a roommate my freshman year, and we weren't great friends or anything , but we got along fine when we were together (12 hour schedule difference, but we were sound sleepers so we didn't care how loud the other one was). Never had a single disagreement or problem in an entire year.
This year I have a single, which is nice cause I can play my streams at night without headphones and leave all the lights on instead of one or two, but I wouldn't mind being in a double again if I needed to save some money.
Ultimately though, it comes down to you and how mature you estimate possible roommates to be. People are immature as fuck, spoiled brats who have always had what they wanted and never had to compromise to accommodate someone else's lifestyle. College can be a rude awakening for them, but they fight it tooth and nail. Even at my school, which is an Ivy League, so you'd expect /some/ maturity from people here, the two kids in the double next to me lock each other out and scream at each other like 4 year olds late at night. Sometimes just want to knock their heads together and tell them to grow the fuck up. If you guess most of the people at your school will be like that, get a job to pay for that single. You'll be thankful.
Yeah, my first year in college, I was in a triple! D:
One roommate turned out to be a dick, but the other turned out to be really cool, and I regret losing contact with him. But then again, I'm the type that's not exactly easy to get along with, although I really want to get along with everyone. Looking back now, I can see why I wouldn't have been prime roommate material. I admit I had some serious growing up to do back then.
On the other hand, I have definitely heard the horror stories, way worse than anything I could have pulled. I remember hearing one where the guy had a roommate that didn't understand the concept of "private property", if you get what I mean. Also, I heard another where the problem roommate was a bossy douchebag that had to have everything his way.
If you're concerned enough, if you've got the disposable funds to do it, and if you can't find anyone on Facebook to room with in time, I'd encourage you to get a single.
EDIT: Also:
On April 21 2011 16:28 RedJustice wrote: Even at my school, which is an Ivy League, so you'd expect /some/ maturity from people here, the two kids in the double next to me lock each other out and scream at each other like 4 year olds late at night. Sometimes just want to knock their heads together and tell them to grow the fuck up. If you guess most of the people at your school will be like that, get a job to pay for that single. You'll be thankful.
...wow, that's some passive-aggressive spiteful shit there.
Heh, so this is a horror story, so it definitely ISN'T the case with all universities, but has none the less left me with 0 confidence in roommate assigning programs. My Freshman year @ Baylor University in Texas I was put with a snob that I really didn't like, it wasn't a huge deal but definitely by the end of the year we wanted to strangle each other. We just didn't have compatible personality types. Just on that I'd recommend a single.
But Sophomore year is where it got bad. I was put in a double room apartment on campus with 3 other guys. One of which was a Sigma Chi (and a heavy drinker). I wouldn't have been too surprised by how much of an issue his drinking was if I went to a state school, but Baylor is a "Christian" University, so I was surprised no action was taken when he would have the cops called on him, or be found passed out in his car.
But the real highlight was when we woke up to one of our other roommates letting me know that the drinker's girlfriend had died in our apartment over night (drinking related death, I'll spare the gross details). Anyway we were interrogated by the police, as well as approached by lawyers the following week.
I said that to say this, I have had a VERY IRREGULAR college roommate situation. It is not the norm and it is likely rare that someone else would have the same experience. Still I'd advise you to meet and talk with anyone you plan on rooming with. And like posters above, your main avenue for meeting friends in college is not your roommate. Its simply talking with people in classes/dorms/cafeterias. As freshmen you're all in the same boat.
Oh, and for anyone thinking i'm BS'ing just research Sigma Chi being banned from Baylor Campus after the death last March. >.<
Well i'm planning to be in a suite with 4-5 random roommates, hopefully co-ed. But all these horror stories makes me want to ask for a single lol. Should I just roll the dice and hopefully score some awesome roomies?
Well, if you're going with a 4-5 group, chances are you're gonna get some awesome people, and some w/e to bad people. If it's a large suit with more than one bedroom, shouldn't be a problem to share a room with the awesome one(s) and avoid the others when necessary. At the very least you can room with someone is not good or bad, just easy to get along with, and make friends with people you don't live with.
I went to boarding high school, 4 years in a single room, first year in college I Was in a triple with about a doubles worth of space, overall it was pretty lame, didn't like it, back in my single room 2nd year and i enjoy it, but I'm a very private person who needs to be able to talk on skype/ventrilo regularly, and i stay up to pretty late hours so meh, singles are best for me.
I have to say I loved living with a roommate during res (:
We contacted each other during the summer and I gave him one of my sc2 trials. I quickly taught him the basics and we started playing 2v2 for Waterloo csl d: Ultra fun times.
Having a roommate is like having a sibling around your age. You'll get annoyed at them some times, and you'll like having them around sometimes. It definitely depends on your personality/ what you're used to.
I took a single freshman year because I knew that at the end of the day, I wanted to be able to control whether there was noise in my room or not. But if you leave your door open when you're in your room, its basically like having roommates because your hallmates will walk in.
My advice: Get a single, but make sure that you leave your door open when you're in your room, especially during the first few weeks. That way you get the chance to socialize.
I always lived with roommates (usually to save money), and while I sometimes knew them from before, there were several that I essentially was paired with randomly. I never had a problem living with any roommate. There was one guy whom I basically never became close to at all: it was a bit weird: we lived in the same room and saw each other every night, but we barely exchanged two words with each other. Still, it was fine--we didn't dislike each other or anything. We just didn't have much to say to each other.
Edit: I'd like to stress the upside of having a roommate too: if you do get along well with him, chances are he'll become one of your best friends. There's no comparing how well you get to know people that you are in casual contact with, like classmates, with how well you get to know people that you live with.
I had a double my freshman year. It was a shitty experience. That (in combination with how much it sucked to share my bedroom with my brother from ages 7-12) caused me to myself afterward that I would never share a bedroom for an extended period of time again outside of romantic relationships.
That's just my personal experience, but I would definitely recommend a single if you can afford it.
On April 21 2011 16:11 ]343[ wrote: I feel like having a roommate at least once in your life is a valuable experience... singles are definitely nice and all, but if you haven't had a roommate before, definitely try it out!
I completely disagree. I think that sharing a bedroom with a randomly selected person is an absolutely absurd idea which is highly likely to create unavoidable problems with regards to sleep schedule, homework/study habits, social time, hygiene, etc., and I fail to see what is "valuable" about that experience. It just sucks.
Sure, you need to have a flatmate so that you can learn how to share a kitchen or a bathroom or a living room politely. But sharing a dorm room... no. That is just crappy.
My roommate in college was not clean. He made the room smell bad by leaving sweaty clothes everywhere. His side of the room was always pretty much just a pile of sweaty clothes. That was my main issue with him. But for me, personally, I just don't feel very comfortable when I don't have anywhere where I can shut the door and know that no one else is coming in. It's not too rational, but I'm fairly introverted and I like to be able to have my alone time.
i'd say look for a roomy on TL if you're used to having your own room you might want to think twice about having someone else living with you. Theres bound to be habits thats going to annoy you and it depends on how tolerant you are (not saying you should tolerate everything)
Definitely go for a single. You'll never know what kind of roomie you'll get. I've found some weird shit in my toilet this last semester. My suggestion is live in a single the first year and find some badass people to room with next semester.
On April 21 2011 23:21 matjlav wrote: I had a double my freshman year. It was a shitty experience. That (in combination with how much it sucked to share my bedroom with my brother from ages 7-12) caused me to myself afterward that I would never share a bedroom for an extended period of time again outside of romantic relationships.
That's just my personal experience, but I would definitely recommend a single if you can afford it.
On April 21 2011 16:11 ]343[ wrote: I feel like having a roommate at least once in your life is a valuable experience... singles are definitely nice and all, but if you haven't had a roommate before, definitely try it out!
I completely disagree. I think that sharing a bedroom with a randomly selected person is an absolutely absurd idea which is highly likely to create unavoidable problems with regards to sleep schedule, homework/study habits, social time, hygiene, etc., and I fail to see what is "valuable" about that experience. It just sucks.
Sure, you need to have a flatmate so that you can learn how to share a kitchen or a bathroom or a living room politely. But sharing a dorm room... no. That is just crappy.
My roommate in college was not clean. He made the room smell bad by leaving sweaty clothes everywhere. His side of the room was always pretty much just a pile of sweaty clothes. That was my main issue with him. But for me, personally, I just don't feel very comfortable when I don't have anywhere where I can shut the door and know that no one else is coming in. It's not too rational, but I'm fairly introverted and I like to be able to have my alone time.
You learn a lot going through that type of experience. Whether or not the lesson is worth it if you have a really bad arrangement is debatable... but to say that it can't be a good learning experience too I think is wrong.
I was in a converted triple my freshman year so there were three of us packed into a room meant for two. Us and the converted triple next door ended up doing a lot of stuff together etc and if I was in a single I would have had a much different experience.
In my opinion save the single for when you are a little older and are better able to gauge what effect it will have on your college life, health, and academics.
I'd also advise against rooming with someone you pre-arrange unless you have a very good reason for wanting to do it.
I believe rooming with a random person your freshman year of college is what everyone should do. Pre-arranged roommates NEVER work out. And single rooms aren't as fun, you're definitely missing out on a great experience. I got randomly put into a triple at my school, and had a blast. It FORCED me to meet and interact with new people (because I ended up going to a college a lot of my high school went to, this was a great thing), and puts you out of your comfort zone a bit.
One of my roommates and I didnt get along very well, but I'm actually getting a house next year, and my other roommate is one of the people in it. If I had a single room, I would have missed out on meeting a great friend of mine.
Plus, even if you get a bad roommate, its a great story to tell!!
its a risk.. i went for a double and got someone who i did not click with at all, but luckily i became friends with someone in the double next door to me, and my original roommate became friends with the other guy in that room. we ended up switching roommates and it was an awesome year having a roommate that I was friends with.
With that being said I got pretty lucky, if I were to do it over again without knowing who my roommate was going to be, I would definitely go for a single.
If living with another random person was ok for you, you wouldn't even ask. I say go for single since it's obvious you are not comfortable with the idea.
On April 21 2011 23:21 matjlav wrote: I had a double my freshman year. It was a shitty experience. That (in combination with how much it sucked to share my bedroom with my brother from ages 7-12) caused me to myself afterward that I would never share a bedroom for an extended period of time again outside of romantic relationships.
That's just my personal experience, but I would definitely recommend a single if you can afford it.
On April 21 2011 16:11 ]343[ wrote: I feel like having a roommate at least once in your life is a valuable experience... singles are definitely nice and all, but if you haven't had a roommate before, definitely try it out!
I completely disagree. I think that sharing a bedroom with a randomly selected person is an absolutely absurd idea which is highly likely to create unavoidable problems with regards to sleep schedule, homework/study habits, social time, hygiene, etc., and I fail to see what is "valuable" about that experience. It just sucks.
Sure, you need to have a flatmate so that you can learn how to share a kitchen or a bathroom or a living room politely. But sharing a dorm room... no. That is just crappy.
My roommate in college was not clean. He made the room smell bad by leaving sweaty clothes everywhere. His side of the room was always pretty much just a pile of sweaty clothes. That was my main issue with him. But for me, personally, I just don't feel very comfortable when I don't have anywhere where I can shut the door and know that no one else is coming in. It's not too rational, but I'm fairly introverted and I like to be able to have my alone time.
You learn a lot going through that type of experience. Whether or not the lesson is worth it if you have a really bad arrangement is debatable... but to say that it can't be a good learning experience too I think is wrong.
I was in a converted triple my freshman year so there were three of us packed into a room meant for two. Us and the converted triple next door ended up doing a lot of stuff together etc and if I was in a single I would have had a much different experience.
In my opinion save the single for when you are a little older and are better able to gauge what effect it will have on your college life, health, and academics.
I'd also advise against rooming with someone you pre-arrange unless you have a very good reason for wanting to do it.
I mean, when people ask this question, it's usually responded with people that had a bad experience saying "get a single" and people that had a good experience saying "get a double." So it can obviously go either way, but in my opinion, there are a lot of much better and less risky ways to get a good social group than sharing your bedroom with a random guy.
And I don't see how you view getting a single as some sort of risk that you should weight the benefits of when you're older and more experience... having a roommate is way more likely to stress you out and be a detriment....
Me and my freshman roomate ended up living together all 4 years (2 in dorm then 2 with us + one of my other friends) in an apartment. I got lucky with who I got matched it. Its really luck of the draw, some people end up being good friends others hate each other and try to get out of it asap.
On April 21 2011 23:21 matjlav wrote: I had a double my freshman year. It was a shitty experience. That (in combination with how much it sucked to share my bedroom with my brother from ages 7-12) caused me to myself afterward that I would never share a bedroom for an extended period of time again outside of romantic relationships.
That's just my personal experience, but I would definitely recommend a single if you can afford it.
On April 21 2011 16:11 ]343[ wrote: I feel like having a roommate at least once in your life is a valuable experience... singles are definitely nice and all, but if you haven't had a roommate before, definitely try it out!
I completely disagree. I think that sharing a bedroom with a randomly selected person is an absolutely absurd idea which is highly likely to create unavoidable problems with regards to sleep schedule, homework/study habits, social time, hygiene, etc., and I fail to see what is "valuable" about that experience. It just sucks.
Sure, you need to have a flatmate so that you can learn how to share a kitchen or a bathroom or a living room politely. But sharing a dorm room... no. That is just crappy.
My roommate in college was not clean. He made the room smell bad by leaving sweaty clothes everywhere. His side of the room was always pretty much just a pile of sweaty clothes. That was my main issue with him. But for me, personally, I just don't feel very comfortable when I don't have anywhere where I can shut the door and know that no one else is coming in. It's not too rational, but I'm fairly introverted and I like to be able to have my alone time.
You learn a lot going through that type of experience. Whether or not the lesson is worth it if you have a really bad arrangement is debatable... but to say that it can't be a good learning experience too I think is wrong.
I was in a converted triple my freshman year so there were three of us packed into a room meant for two. Us and the converted triple next door ended up doing a lot of stuff together etc and if I was in a single I would have had a much different experience.
In my opinion save the single for when you are a little older and are better able to gauge what effect it will have on your college life, health, and academics.
I'd also advise against rooming with someone you pre-arrange unless you have a very good reason for wanting to do it.
I mean, when people ask this question, it's usually responded with people that had a bad experience saying "get a single" and people that had a good experience saying "get a double." So it can obviously go either way, but in my opinion, there are a lot of much better and less risky ways to get a good social group than sharing your bedroom with a random guy.
And I don't see how you view getting a single as some sort of risk that you should weight the benefits of when you're older and more experience... having a roommate is way more likely to stress you out and be a detriment....
My second year I got a single (wasn't available first year) and spent the whole year on my computer.... not that computers are bad or anything but I wasn't prepared to be on my own yet (contrast that with my very active freshman year where I was spontaneously playing basketball with people from my room/floor, eating at the dining hall with them, playing poker, etc).
On April 21 2011 23:21 matjlav wrote: I had a double my freshman year. It was a shitty experience. That (in combination with how much it sucked to share my bedroom with my brother from ages 7-12) caused me to myself afterward that I would never share a bedroom for an extended period of time again outside of romantic relationships.
That's just my personal experience, but I would definitely recommend a single if you can afford it.
On April 21 2011 16:11 ]343[ wrote: I feel like having a roommate at least once in your life is a valuable experience... singles are definitely nice and all, but if you haven't had a roommate before, definitely try it out!
I completely disagree. I think that sharing a bedroom with a randomly selected person is an absolutely absurd idea which is highly likely to create unavoidable problems with regards to sleep schedule, homework/study habits, social time, hygiene, etc., and I fail to see what is "valuable" about that experience. It just sucks.
Sure, you need to have a flatmate so that you can learn how to share a kitchen or a bathroom or a living room politely. But sharing a dorm room... no. That is just crappy.
My roommate in college was not clean. He made the room smell bad by leaving sweaty clothes everywhere. His side of the room was always pretty much just a pile of sweaty clothes. That was my main issue with him. But for me, personally, I just don't feel very comfortable when I don't have anywhere where I can shut the door and know that no one else is coming in. It's not too rational, but I'm fairly introverted and I like to be able to have my alone time.
You learn a lot going through that type of experience. Whether or not the lesson is worth it if you have a really bad arrangement is debatable... but to say that it can't be a good learning experience too I think is wrong.
I was in a converted triple my freshman year so there were three of us packed into a room meant for two. Us and the converted triple next door ended up doing a lot of stuff together etc and if I was in a single I would have had a much different experience.
In my opinion save the single for when you are a little older and are better able to gauge what effect it will have on your college life, health, and academics.
I'd also advise against rooming with someone you pre-arrange unless you have a very good reason for wanting to do it.
I mean, when people ask this question, it's usually responded with people that had a bad experience saying "get a single" and people that had a good experience saying "get a double." So it can obviously go either way, but in my opinion, there are a lot of much better and less risky ways to get a good social group than sharing your bedroom with a random guy.
And I don't see how you view getting a single as some sort of risk that you should weight the benefits of when you're older and more experience... having a roommate is way more likely to stress you out and be a detriment....
My second year I got a single (wasn't available first year) and spent the whole year on my computer.... not that computers are bad or anything but I wasn't prepared to be on my own yet (contrast that with my very active freshman year where I was spontaneously playing basketball with people from my room/floor, eating at the dining hall with them, playing poker, etc).
I second this. I already talked about my freshman year, but this year I ended up getting an apartment with a friend from HS (we have to choose living arrangements in like October where I go to school, so not enough time to find who you want to live with for second year...thus a HS friend) but he is almost never home. Basically I am in a single room. And I also spend a lot of my time on the computer, whereas last year I was out also playing basketball, or wandering the city, or just watching tv or playing COD with all the people around me and in my room.
I agree, its very difficult to be living on your own and keep up the activity and social-ness that a college kid should have.
I want to move out next year for university but my parent's won't let me unfortunately since I live in the same city (on the other side of the city). I know that my university fund has enough to cover me for undergraduate and living in residence. From what I've read here, it seems to be one of the big parts of university life. So I want to convince my parents to let me move ouy for first year (I'm planning on some exchange programs abroad in 2nd year.) I need some valid sounding arguments; you guy's got any aside from "party it up (because I really don't plan on partying much in university, just not that sort of person)?"
getting a suite with two/three friends is the best option imo
I'm living with 2 friends and it's kinda sucks. I'm a kind of person that stay up late(like 4am), but then my roommate goes to bed at around midnight everyday and he's so fking sensitive to light that i have to turn down my desk lamp as lowest as possible. It's so bad how I couldn't see shit when I'm working.
If you're pretty tolerant of other people's habits, feel free to get a double. Otherwise, get the single.
Does your university have any roommate profiles? My old university used to try and match roommates based on the sleep and study habits in their profiles, so it helped a little for most cases. Then again, even with the profile matching, I ended up with a roommate who had trouble sleeping when there was any light in the room (needed a face mask and everything), so it took half a year for us to work out a compromise since I tended to study late. Also, she had trouble falling asleep with my mouse clicking, which made playing SC very difficult if my APM went anywhere over 20. Oh yeah, and I couldn't find any girls to room with who also liked playing SC. >_<
Another year, I had one who was really messy as hell, but she kept the mess to her side of the room, and we got along really well. So it really depends. See if you can talk with people, find out their usual living habits first, then if you can find people you really like, go and grab a double or a suite.
wow i didnt check tl for a day or two and so many replies...
my uni has a crappy matching thing with stuff like what time do you sleep, do you smoke, it really doesnt help at all. i decided to go with a single because i don't want to risk having a ton of bad roommate stories a year from now lol. im also a neat freak and i cant stand any noise so theres a huge chance my roommate will end up irritating me in some way or another given theres no door or anything dividing the double. im a pretty social guy so i'll find friends in our hall / other dorms / clubs / etc so there's no concern about that. ill definitely go for a double next year to save some more cash + for the experience though.
also i made a noob mistake when considering my options before... i called the fin aid office and found out today that i could reduce my meal plan to the most basic one and have almost exactly enough money to afford a single (my financial aid package provided for a double and a pretty big meal package i didnt really need), so in terms of money theres no problem -_- single it is
Having a roommate enhances your college experience in general. I had a cool guy, or at least i thought he was until the 2nd week when my room reaked of weed all the time. So... I kicked him out, had a super single for an entire quarter and took someone almost halfway through the 2nd quarter. He's a cool guy, we have fairly similar interests, same major, we have a friendly environment and keep common courtesies. I'd say just take the double and meet the person. If he's impossible to live with you can always switch out
switching out costs money too lol so im even more scared of the risk of ending up punching my roommate all the time ive made my choice and im pretty secure about it now. ill prolly try it out next year though
On April 24 2011 00:44 Pressure wrote: switching out costs money too lol so im even more scared of the risk of ending up punching my roommate all the time ive made my choice and im pretty secure about it now. ill prolly try it out next year though
Honestly, it's not as bad as you're making it out in your head. Either way, your first year is rife with new experiences experiences, so you'll be missing out on this one.
My first two years I had roommates. They were both great. We got a lot closer than we would have otherwise. Keep in mind that roommate relationships are a lot different than normal friendships since your current idea of friendship doesn't include living together.
Since then I've lived in singles, but that's because I was an RA for three years! Over that time I saw a TON of roommate dynamics and found that the best roommates were the ones that were open about issues before they became big issues. Many times I had one person come to me with an elaborate story about why their roommate was terrible and why they needed to move to a different room. The first words out of my mouth were always "Have you talked to them about it?" and sure enough, the answer was always no. Relatively few people made the effort to move after talking out their problems, so if and when you're ever in a living situation with someone else keep communication a top priority. And have fun with it
I will offer some general advice about your mannerisms, though:
1). Live in a special interest community - community building is tricky for first year students, but it's a LOT easier and fun when you all live on a floor with one common trait.
2). Buy a fan - you said that noise drives you crazy and even though a fan makes noise, it tends to drown out the noises of the floor. You will rarely find absolute silence in a residence hall, but you can drown it out with a consistent noise.
Other than that go in to college with an open mind!
I'll close with a quote I heard somewhere that has a lot of truth to it:
"Your roommate always leads to a good friend. Either you become good friends with them, or you become good friends with the person you hang out with to avoid them."
EPT
Looking back now, I can see why I wouldn't have been prime roommate material. I admit I had some serious growing up to do back then.
ive made my choice and im pretty secure about it now. ill prolly try it out next year though
