How MBHS Seniors are Choosing College Roomates

As the end of the school year is fast approaching, MBHS seniors are trying to figure out what to do about the college roommate situation; is it more sensible to pick a roommate or get a randomly assigned roommate? 

There are several ways to pick a roommate, but the main ones are roommate matching apps like Bunky, RoomSurf, My College Roomie, and ZeeMee. Others can find potential roommates by finding their colleges’ class of 2030 commitment Instagrams, which share students’ information and roommate status. 

Bunky is very nice in that it allows you to find exactly what you’re looking for, but it’s a little bit difficult to actually find good roommates, as many people will ghost each other. Also, the more information you share, the smaller your feed is, which motivates people to withhold potentially important information on their account to find a roommate more easily, and the app withholds important features as well to be a paid premium tier. I think some people will have success with apps like Bunky, but those people are few and far between.

As for looking for roommates through the college commitment pages, it’s bit more work and a bit more stress, as there’s none of the connection-fostering features the roommate apps have, so you have to abruptly reach out and start and hold a conversation. Similar to the roommate matching apps, there’s also a fair bit of ghosting. 

If neither of these techniques to find a roommate is really your speed, you could also randomize your roommate and have no prior knowledge of who your roommates are before you meet them on move-in day. Many people like this option, as it requires less work. Especially when you consider that most people looking for roommates right now are already overstimulated with college preparations. However, you run the risk of ending up with a roommate with whom you are totally incompatible, as you’ll have no way of filtering out traits that might be an automatic dealbreaker for you. For example, you won’t be able to filter out common dealbreakers like substance use, cleanliness, values, and partying. 

All in all, seniors must simply find a roommate through whichever method best suits their needs and preferences. For some, this means finding the exact right fit for a roommate, and for others, this means throwing the dice and accepting whatever you get.