Why Not Use the Internet to Find a Roomie?
You’re about to embark upon the adventure of a lifetime by heading off to college. Whether you’re attending an institution close to home or voyaging to a distant new horizon, however, one thing is certain: You don’t want a lousy roomie.
Fortunately, you can use the Internet to find roommates who share your interests and respect your need for sleep before big exams. Here are a few pointers to get you started off right.
Know What You Should Look for in a Roommate
Dorms are small, and no roomie is perfect. This doesn’t mean that you have to settle for someone who fails to be considerate of your boundaries, however.
Don’t Expect the World of Someone…
Understand the need to choose your battles wisely. For instance, if you’re a stickler for cleanliness, then it’s important to find someone else who shares your perspective, but if you and your college roommate have varied political viewpoints, then you should be mature and rise above it. College is meant to expose you to new attitudes and ideas, so just consider it one of many learning experiences.
…But Know When to Put Your Foot Down
Which roommate characteristics are worth standing your ground? You should be willing to compromise unless it’s something that impacts your routine or academic career.
If your roomie loves partying late but is willing to do so outside of your shared space, for example, then why let their bad habits worry you? When they compromise your studies, however, it’s a different story.
Using the Internet to Find a College Roommate
One of the easiest ways to avoid finding yourself stuck with someone you simply can’t stand is to start searching early. Most schools are willing to honor requests from people who want to live together, but you don’t necessarily have to be high school pals to leverage such privileges.
Creating a profile in a college roommate finder is an excellent way to get to know like-minded individuals who stick to similar schedules and won’t fill your dorm or apartment with bad influences.
What Should You Reveal in an Online College Roommate Finder?
Stick to the most important facts. People don’t need to know your whole life story or see intimate photos of you in your natural element.
In addition to following the same internet safety rules that you’d adhere to on social media, use your college roommate finder profile to specify details like your field of study, intended class load and academic level.
Since you’re primarily there to earn your degree, it’s best if you search for potential roommates who are just as academically committed as you are. Of course, making friends is important too. There’s nothing wrong with sharing your basic interests and hobbies.
Finally, remember that you’re only going to live together for a relatively short time. As you browse through online college roommate finder profiles, you may even discover that you’re the one who needs to shape up to meet someone else’s high standards.
If you want to make your time at school as productive and drama-free as possible, you’ll remember to be flexible and considerate of the fact that not everyone lives the way you do.
College Roommate Finder Sites: Our Top Three Picks
- Room Surf
- My College Roomie
- Room Sync (formerly roombug.net)
There are also general roommate sites like roomiematch.com and roommates.com. However, each of our top picks, have been designed specifically for finding a college roommate, which is why we chose them.
We know there are other choices, if you know of other roommate finders or tools, please feel free to reply to this post and we will share them with our readers.
Always keep in mind, that the more traditional social sites can also be used, such as Facebook, Craigslist and Reddit. However, I would caution you to be very careful when sharing your personal information while using these sites.
Also Checkout: “Get to Know Your Roommate Ahead of Time”
About the Author
Johnny Rogers and His wife Helena are the owners of College Tidbits – The Online College Planning Guide. If you found this article useful, they would greatly appreciate it, if you would consider Liking their Facebook Fan Page or Following them on Twitter.
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