For many incoming freshmen, summer is the time to relax and prepare for the next chapter of their lives at Ball State. But it's also time to choose a roommate, with hopes of finding a best friend or at least someone to share a home with for the next four years.
Finding and having a roommate is one of the biggest adjustments that college brings to students. Rooming with someone from a student’s high school or friend is a common option, but other students opt to go in with a random roommate.
Junior public relations major Bianca Humbarger had a random roommate for the 2015-2016 and said that while she was initially nervous and skeptical, it ended up being one of the best decisions she has ever made.
“I am very pleased with my decision of going random with my roommate. My roommate is now currently my best friend and I will be living with her again this coming year off campus,” Humbarger said. “The best advice that I can give students on moving in with random roommates is to go in with an open mind, always. Make sure you go in with a positive attitude. You are nervous, they are nervous. Turn those nerves into a bonding experience.”
Junior entrepreneurial management major Cody Goddard thought moving in with a stranger would be a cool experience, so he also opted to have a random roommate.
While he first had hopes that he had made a friend, Goddard said things changed.
The two first went on Insomnia Cookie runs and ate at Pita Pit but eventually Goddard’s roommate started to ignore him, and that made him feel that he was missing out on college.
During his sophomore year, Goddard said he found himself in yet another bad roommate situation. He said he finally resorted to talking to his RA and ultimately got a single room.
“Getting your own room may not be the best thing, but you need to make the most out of the situation no matter what happens,” Goddard said. “When I did that I was able to get comfortable in my living space and ended up making friends with people in my hall.”
Goddard would advise future students to reach out to their roommates before move-in to try to establish a connection. If for some reason it just doesn’t work out, he recommends getting out and not only staying inside the dorm room.
“There are plenty of people you can connect with on campus, so feel free to study in a lounge or go outside where people are,” he said. “Find clubs to join and take advantage of the free facilities like the Rec Center to get involved and keep busy.”
Sophomore public relations major Sarah Foster also recommends communicating with your future roommate once you find out who he or she is. Her freshmen year roommate was random, and they did not communicate much before move-in day.
“[My ex-roommate and I] were different people, so communication was rare except when I tried to talk to them. When we did talk, it was brief and not personable."
While not all roommates are friends, if living with someone is causing too many problems, Foster said talking to an RA might help, but isn't always a permanent solution.
"At one point, we did meet with the RA to talk out some of our issues. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to get better, so I requested a new roommate for the Spring 2016 semester,” Foster said. “It’s okay if you aren’t best friends, but if you feel like you can’t talk to them without feeling uncomfortable or can’t even be in the same room when they’re in there too – that’s a red flag.”
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