No matter how many times we hear that college spans “the best years of our lives,” those few months before it starts are tense with uncertainty, and understandingly so! In September, everything will be totally unfamiliar, from the campus to the professors. Your roommate, however, can be exception to this rule. What better use of today’s digital communication, than to meet who you’ll be living with—well—before you meet them? It’s a great way to…
Get Comfortable
Rising Goucher freshman Jasira Woods lives states away from her future roommates, but talks frequently with them. “We started chatting as soon we found out we were living together,” she says. “All of us understand the situation of being new, and having to share a small space with two other people. Knowing each other beforehand will hopefully make that easier.” Their contact medium is none other than a certain social network, Facebook, through which they have frequent group chats. At this point, they text each other if need be, so it’s safe to assume they’re hitting it off thus far!
Find Out Where You Stand
While nobody’s personality is clear until we meet him or her, early contact gives a good preview in this case. “I see myself being the balancing element between the three of us,” says soon-to-be Sarah Lawrence girl Ella Mahony. “One of them is very into fashion and the other is really bookish. I’m kind of in the middle, personality-wise… It seems like a good match, but I’ll probably have a different relationship with each of them.” Everyone in Mahony’s apartment-style suite is a freshman. They’ve spoken three times since July via Facebook, as well as email.
Make the Rules
Olivia Shestopal made sure to request Goucher’s Jeffrey House, which is reserved for first-years. Yes, she and her roommate met on Facebook (remember, over 500 million users!). But they did so far enough in advance to get to request to one another as roommates. At this stage, they’re setting up ground rules. “We’ve split who’s going to purchase what for the room,” explains Shestopal, “and we’re going to switch off when it comes to things like food.” The two are prepared to consult one another before bringing people back to the room, and are prepared to exchange notes if one misses a mutual class. “It’s a good match,” she says, “because we’re both pretty similar people.” Maybe this is true for you and your first roommate, but you’ll never know unless you contact them.
And if this is the first person you’re sharing a room with, why go in cold?
