Amritha Jayashankar (‘15, UW-Madison)

“Be very clear about expectations before you both agree to live together. That saves a lot of time and confusion later. Also, maintain your own circle of friends. It’s natural to feel a little scared and alone that first week and to stick exclusively with your roommate but after that, try to branch out more. You want to meet as many people as possible and soon you’ll find a circle of friends that’s right for you. Last (and most important) tip would be to communicate […] Really talk through everything while filling that out, be open with each other.”

Aaron Neustedter (‘16 Purdue University)

“Don’t worry too much about having the perfect roommate, it’s really hard to get a feel for someone online. People in college tend to be pretty chill and it’s typically pretty easy to switch if it all goes south.”

Shreya Ravindran (‘16, Case Western Reserve)

“When it comes to roommate searches, I would say try to find someone through social media who best shares your interests rather than fully going random. Also, college is a really big step from high school, and it’s easy to dwell in academics and extracurriculars all day long, but I would say that you should remember to take care of your health first. “The downside is that both of us had to be very considerate of each other. For example, we could not continue studying in our room when one of us is about to sleep, or we could not bring other friends into our room when one of us is studying, etc.”

David Gunther Treis (‘16, Augustana College)

“You have four years to have a great time in college. So if you miss a party one weekend for class, just do it. There will always be another party.”