Some students hooked up in the cafeteria, the smoking lounge or in the back of a dark classroom. Others met their ’mate way back last April at Freshman Friday. And now they’ve committed to one another, pledging to stay up with one another late into the night, talking about everything from how their day went to the latest gossip.
Yes, it’s time once again to pick your roommates and housing arrangements for next year.
Housing lottery numbers were issued last week, and while some scored a number sure to place them in a desirable suite on South Campus, others drew digits dooming them to the doldrums of Danielsen Hall.
Many students go into housing selection with an idea of the people they would like to live with, but the rest are often left to worry. Because Boston University asks only to identify oneself as a smoker or a non-smoker in his housing application, students worry about differences in personality, habits or culture that could create an unbearable living environment.
Local schools employ a variety of methods in placing students. At Boston College, students are asked general questions regarding their lifestyle, including whether or not they smoke and how messy they keep their room. Northeastern University students are required to qualify their smoking and drinking habits in addition to optional questions regarding specific details such as sexuality and how loud they tend to play music.
At the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, students must complete a form similar to that required by BU, asking students to classify whether or not they smoke. At Stonehill College students are asked what time they prefer to go to sleep.
The list of questions is more extensive at Springfield College. There, students must list their study habits, when they like to study, what type of music they listen to, whether they need silence to concentrate and what their hobbies include.
But, BU students said, just because the person sleeping across the room from you was a stranger before you shared a room doesn’t necessarily mean the arrangements will be completely uncomfortable.
“Getting along with your roommate is like going to the opera or eating French food; either you’ll love it or you’ll hate it,” said College of Arts and Sciences freshman Amy Grove. “If you love it, then you and your roommate will get along really well and will be able to compromise. If you hate it, you may learn to respect each other, but it won’t be a very friendly environment.”
Others students said compromise and respect are essential to getting along, whether or not the students know what they’re getting into. CAS senior Julie Holt said “consideration, compromise and an open mind” are extremely important to a good living situation.
“Understanding and patience; no one wants to be told what to do or how to live,” CAS freshman Melissa Penn added.
However, not all agree it is necessary to live with someone very similar to them.
“One of my friends and I are pretty similar, and we both know that if we were roommates, we would kill each other because we are both pretty competitive and opinionated,” said Alexis Donahue, a CAS freshman. “There just would not be enough room for the both of us.”
Donahue also tooted diversity as an educational experience.
“You don’t want to live with someone too similar, because you don’t learn anything that way,” she said.
Even though roommates may do their best to accommodate each other, many times conflict is bound to arise. When this happens, School for the Arts freshman Tim O’Brien said the best way to handle problems and differences is to talk about them, and try and resolve whatever comes up.
“Honesty is the best way to go; it gets both of you on the same page,” O’Brien said. “I’d rather live with someone who is similar to me, though, because then there would be fewer, if any, awkward situations. When you have differing personalities, more conflicts arise.”
Jackie Lennon, a School of Education freshman, said students should be more accepting when assigned to an awkward situation.
“Let’s face it, some people get put in extremely difficult living situations,” he said, “but if you are a little more patient perhaps it would help the situation.”
Most students are optimistic that BU’s system works and no matter what the differences between people in the same living quarters, they can be worked out to create a reasonably comfortable housing situation.
“I think two totally different people are capable of living together and even becoming friends,” Lennon said. “A good roommate is not someone just like you, but someone who is considerate, understanding and patient.”
“Even if you’re not best friends, you can still live with and get along with your roommates,” Penn said.
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