College Roommates

Before heading off to Bonaventure, I honestly had college roommate nightmares.

Phew. After nine weeks of living with my roommate, I feel quite fortunate. My roommate and I get along well and avoid the drama that could easily occur in a tiny, cramped, shared space.

I had nightmares about my roommate being the human equivalent of biting tinfoil. I imagined the worst scenario possible and then figured out ways I could deal with awkward or uncomfortable situations.

What if my roommate was driving me crazy?

It’s not like I have a private room to go and reclaim my sanity. To get some alone time I can sit in a cubicle in the library or put on headphones and explore Facebook in the room.

So what kinds of quirks are deal killers? Of course there are the obvious piles of dirty, stinking clothes stacking up in the corner, blaring loud music at 3 a.m. the night before your midterm and large chunks of food and pizza boxes gathering mold on the floor.

So how do most colleges match roommates? Bonaventure’s Residence Life questionnaire asks just a few standard questions. Some of my high school friends wrote lengthy essays on deep, thought provoking subjects for their process. Some schools even offer a computer program similar to an online dating service to find your ideal roommate. I was asked if I went to bed early or late. Some of my friends were asked to describe their favorite vacation destination.

Even with an electronic service or questionnaire, no roommate is perfect nor are all situations ideal.

Perfect nor are all idea, but I have no complaints about Bonaventure’s matching process.

The key to the ideal roommate situation is being courteous and showing consideration and respect for your roommate and their possessions. Just being courteous goes a long way when it comes to living with your roommate.