For all of the excitement following a college acceptance letter, finding the ideal roommate to live with for the next four years can be a stressful and even awkward situation. After all, a college roommate is not just someone who sleeps and lives in the same room as you. They have an immense influence on your social life, academic accomplishments, communication skills, and personal growth. Needless to say, finding and picking a roommate is one of the most important events that will affect the course of your college career.

Common ways to reach out to prospective roommates include visiting Instagram accounts designed to introduce those that are enrolling at the university, downloading apps created to connect incoming freshmen, joining student Facebook groups, and utilizing college-specific resources to link students with similar interests. Even though this process can initially be intimidating and overwhelming, it can lead to lifelong friendships and amazing connections. 

Many NASH seniors have already embarked on their search journey in finding a roommate. Some have found immediate success and already formed friendships, while others have not been so lucky. 

Brooke Glinski, a NASH senior and a future University of Kentucky Wildcat, found her bunkmate in an efficient and timely manner. 

“I found my roommate with the Patio app, which connects future students at the same university. She sent me a friend request on Snapchat, and we found out that we have a lot in common,” Glinski expressed. “After speaking back and forth for a month or two, we decided to room together. Before her, I had talked to around ten other people, but I think I finally committed to the perfect one.”

NASH senior Maisy Wadlow, a future student at the Miami University of Ohio, has found herself reaching out of her comfort zone in order to find a roommate in time for fall.

“If I am being honest, it has been super awkward messaging people and attempting to get to know them through just a screen,” Wadlow explained. “I feel like it is unfair to judge someone based on their social media profiles, and that is basically what this process is like. It is like one big dating app.”

Maisy brings up a good point: there is no doubt that anxiety can come when reaching out to random teenagers on the internet and asking them questions about their lives. But with the many social media platforms that Generation Z now has access to, it is easier than ever to connect with others online. 

NASH senior Alex Kmetyk would agree with that statement as she has found success in just a short amount of time. Although Kmetyk has not officially committed to a university yet, she has been reaching out to a few different people from the many universities she has been accepted to.

“It is a little bit nerve-racking to put yourself out there and try to talk to people you have never met based on a few pictures and a small description. I have been talking to people from a couple of different schools and it has been trial and error,” Kmetyk said. “Overall, I feel like I have been pretty successful with finding people that I have similar interests with.”

Jacob Porter, a NASH senior and Yale University football commit, does not get the opportunity to reach out and find a roommate as the student will be selected for him by the university’s housing staff.

“I am extremely nervous about being assigned a roommate. I wish I had the chance to reach out and talk to potential roommates myself,” Porter admitted. “I am required to fill out a questionnaire and they say it plays a role in determining who my roommate will be. I really hope l do not get paired with someone who has different interests and goals than me.”

Josh Ruppert is a NASH senior and future football player at Edinboro University. He believes that he has found the ultimate roommate and is excited to meet him on his first day as a college student. 

“One day I got a direct message on Twitter from a kid who is also playing on the football team at Edinboro. After we got to know each other a little bit, I popped the question and we agreed to room together our freshman year,” Ruppert stated. “Later on, he sent me a video in which he was ‘dared’ to eat an airpod for two hundred dollars – he did it successfully. After watching that video, I was just amazed. I knew it was meant to be.”

Whether one takes ingesting an airpod as a green or red flag, there are many people out there to get to know and possibly live with. Most college-bound NASH seniors have until May 1 to decide and commit to the university of their choice. Most schools send out housing information in the order in which they received commitment notifications after this deadline.