The Roommate Search

by Jaclyn Bosse

Living in close quarters with several individuals might be a new experience to some, but over time it truly starts to be something you’ll cherish. On campus, the roommate and housing search may seem daunting at first, but after your first experience it’s super easy. The housing lottery is the name of the room and roommate sign up. Though, I can guarantee that unlike any other lottery – everyone wins and finds themselves in wonderful living space.  

Speaking from experience, my first roommates I met freshman year are not the same people I plan to live with this upcoming fall and that’s perfectly OK. As a first-year student the school matched me with roommates who had the same living style preferences and a similar profile. I liked rooming with these individuals a lot and we became good friends. Though, over time we found ourselves wishing to room with others in our different friend groups. Going forward I wanted to also try to incorporate new individuals into my living space, so I used our online housing link to find people who were also looking for people to live with. I was able to select the new friends I had in mind and requested the new individuals I thought we’d be compatible with. 

Besides roommates, the housing search is also really important to consider. Once again, first-year students do not have to worry about the housing lottery because the university places each student in a residence hall. It is helpful to not have to worry about the process when everything seems so new. For the other students our names are metaphorically placed in a hat and randomly selected for which time slot we will receive in order to sign up for a specific room. Everyone gets a time to select their desired housing based on their year and include the friends they wish to live with. The reason it’s called a lottery is because your time slot is selected at random, but every year I have been able to get the room I wanted with the people I wished to live with.

I grew up having my own living space, so I was nervous before my first year to begin sharing things I had grown accustomed to solely ruling. Eventually I started to realize the privilege I had when living at home, but also the amazing opportunity I’ve gotten through living with some amazing individuals.