When first year college students move into their dorms they often have at least one random roommate. Many times they have all random roommates. When this happens students often feel nervous, even if they are living with at least one person they already know. In the past few years students have been given compatibility tests to help decide their roommate when they don’t have a full dorm or apartment, but how well do these tests really work?
Last year, I transferred from a community college and was given one of these so called compatibility tests to pair me with the perfect roommates. This test not only put me with people who were nothing like me but I had to be moved out of my apartment and into another one after only three days of living with these girls. So I came to wonder how many other students were dealing with these same roommate horrors from these tests meant to make our living situation the best it can be. It’s almost better to just take the chance and have them pick out of a hat instead. The opposite end of the spectrum is living with someone you already know. You often hear stories about best friends no longer being friends after living together in college. One is too dirty, one is two demanding, another has their boyfriend over all the time.
But with all these problems what should you do? Where are you really better off? Everyone has issues with their roommates at one point or another during the year but many end up having a bad year entirely. Some people resolve the problems but should there be a better way to determine who your perfect roommate is or should you be able to work it out like the adults that you’re now supposed to be? And last is finding a great roommate something you can do for yourself or something that truly is the luck of the draw?