Roommate Roulette

As seniors finalize college decisions, classrooms are filled with chatter about all things housing. As seniors scroll through the various Class of 2029 social media pages, they wonder where they’ll find themselves in the Fall. 

Some students will choose to live with friends or acquaintances from their highschool or hometown to avoid the possibility of being matched with a roommate they don't like. 

Of course, there's always that option for the fearless freshmen: Random roommates. Hearing this, some seniors envision themselves trapped in a cinderblock-wall closet with the roommate of everyone's nightmares. Though this is a possibility, electing to live with a stranger can also be a major growth experience. If college is supposed to be a time of personal growth and enlightenment, why not step outside your comfort zone even more and live with someone you don't already know? 

Nothing fosters learning and personal growth like getting to know someone with a different experience than yourself. Colleges often boast diversity as an essential aspect of a thriving educational community. Several students find that by getting to know people with different cultures, experiences, and outlooks, they increase their own knowledge of the world. 

  Silvia Petrikis, a junior at the University of South Carolina, commented:  “I walked away with a lot of knowledge about myself and others. I learned that living with a roommate is all about adapting–you don't have to be best friends to have a good rooming situation.” 

While the idea may seem daunting now, you never know who you could meet, or who this person could introduce you to. Either you walk away with lifelong friends and a great experience, or with some interesting stories and lessons learned. Bearing this advice in mind, seniors should weigh these pros and cons and decide for themselves what's best. The next four years will be an exciting time to try new things and meet new people, regardless of one's living situation.