Blog: How to Choose a Roommate

I recently saw a weird film called the Roommate that illustrates the obsession a girl named Rebecca has with, you’ve guessed it, her roommate. She does creepy things like digging through her roommate’s stuff, putting a kitten in a washing machine, and trying to kill the girl’s boyfriend with a blunt object. And it got me thinking: what am I getting myself into? I could get a creeper as my roommate next year!

I could get horribly mean person that locks me out, steals my stuff, and keeps me up at night. Or I could get someone with really weird habits that involve toenail clippings or devil worship or something else gross and/or insane. Because that’s the potential when you go potluck – it really is the luck of the draw.

I read Roommate Confessions on CollegeHumor – I know how bad it could be! So, with college coming for most of us seniors, I want to take some time to analyze how to choose a roommate.

For me, there are three choices – putting my name in the pot and being smacked together with someone random, picking someone I already know, or choosing someone online that I know a teensy bit about. For example, on the KU Class of 2015 Facebook page, future Jayhawks can post a profile that lists things like dorm preference, whether they drink or smoke, and any weird habits they might have. This type of thing is the middle ground between going potluck and rooming with a friend, because I would get to be with someone new, but I would still have some sort of knowledge of the person’s personality.

If you choose to just getting plopped in with someone you don’t know, of course, there is the risk of getting put with a Rebecca – a creepy stalker who could try to kill you. Though the chances of that happening are extremely slim, you could still get someone awful, who you have nothing in common with and who annoys you to death. At the same time, you have the chance of getting put together with someone awesome who is going to introduce you to new people and who you are going to adore and remember until you are seventy. There’s no gain without a little risk.

Now for the last choice – rooming with a friend from high school, though seemingly the least risky, also has a possibility for catastrophe. I hear that college is a time for change and if either of us change too much and grow apart, there is a risk of losing each other as friends. I know that I’m not the easiest person to deal with and we could drive each other crazy. I could also risk closing myself off to new acquaintances if I’m spending too much time with my BFF.

Though there are definite risks, I’ve decided to travel the friend route. I’ve picked a close friend of mine that I’ve known for over ten years. We’ve been friends since Girl Scout Camp in the second grade and still refer to each other by our camp nicknames – I’m Flower, she’s Pudding. We aren’t into all of the same things, but we respect each other, and work well together. She is someone that I know I can trust, get along with, and hopefully have a blast with. Because that’s what everyone should want in a roommate – someone who you can deal with, who can tolerate you, and if you have the chance – someone who can make your college experience amazing.

I just hope that she doesn’t regret picking me.