etranman1

some people have been telling me this but my friends say thats dumb...anyone room with friends and had regrets?

Hamadeh

I've heard that rumor to, I'd like an answer as well.

FSUbound!

i've heard it. my cousin roomed with her best friend and while it didn't turn out bad, she didn't meet as many people as she would have like to because she was with her best friend a lot. you'll most likely meet a lot more people if you room with someone you don't know at first. i think it just depends on the person as to if you should room with someone you know

Cards4Life

I roomed with random people my freshman year. One girl was totally cool and we got along great, had a lot in common, but she was hardly ever in the room because of a job and being with her boyfriend. The other girl was alright--but we didn't have anything in common. We never got into fights or arguments or anything like that but there were many times when we would sit in the room in silence. I talk to the first girl quite a bit these days and the other I haven't talked to since we moved out.

This past year I got an apartment with 3 girls I knew--one since 5th grade--and we were all good friends going in. Let's just say that you will learn A LOT about people when you live with them for 8 or 9 months. We all got mad at one other at one point or another but I ended the year on great terms with 2 of the 3. 2 of them haven't spoken to each other since about early March because of an incident between them.

I love the girls I lived with this past year but I probably wouldn't be able to live with them for another year. The little things that don't seem too bad really get old and annoying and frustration builds when you're together all the time. For the most part I'm cool with those girls but I'm happy to be in a single dorm for the next year.

boysx3

Think about it this way.....when you need a break from your roommate (everyone does, once in a while, even if generally you get along great and are good friends)...it's nice to have your good friend to go and hang with. And why risk a perfectly good friendship....

Don_Quixote

yeah, i've been wondering about that too... the rationale i've heard is that it's a situation that'll strain your relationship, if you don't get along with someone you don't know you haven't lost anything, whereas if you get sick of your best friend, it can be rough.

honestly though, i wouldn't hesitate to room with someone i know, but you might thing twice before rooming with your best friend, especially if you only know a few people at your school.

Son of Opie

More specifically, yeah, don't room with good buddies, because you might not enjoy living with them as much as you like being friends with them.

Anecdotally, acquaintances seem to work out better as roommates than friends work as roomates.

baobab

Agree 100%.

Though it isn't the same experience like living in a dorm, I roomed with my friend when I went to a school trip to China and we drove each other nuts, and eventually stopped talking (we occasionally talk but not as frequently).

IMO it's best to dorm with someone you don't know yet so you and him/her can learn about each other's habits without jeopardizing the relationship. but that's just my experience w/ rooming w/ other people. My parents want me to request a room with one of my friends who will be going to my college but I emphatically said no, there's something about living with a friend in that environment that just spells out "strained relationship."

darvit

that's what i thought too, i thought you'd get sick of seeing your roommates all the time so if they were your best friends it'd be tough.

then again...after freshman year people do tend to room with the best friends they made from that year. and i think they're fine for the most part...i've never heard any bad upperclassmen roommate stories. so maybe it only applies to people just entering college?

i'd personally still rather not room with my best friends (ever) because i tend to get sick of people easily. and i don't think i'd be able to stand a whole year seeing people that much.

mcim

I'd say don't room with people you already know. I usually get annoyed or need a break from my friends, so when that happens, it kinda sucks to be living a couple feet from each other. If I were to room with a friend, most likely that friendship would end. I'd rather room with someone new and perhaps get along great in the great game of russian roulette of college roommates.

Nickel Xenon

Being best friends with someone since 5th grade is different than living with that person. I think you'll discover things about them you didn't know before and it may or may not ruin your friendship. If say, they're always staying up until 2 AM and you go to sleep very early, then you're going to become very cranky and mean towards that person that isn't letting you sleep. xD You'll probably be prone to arguements if you don't get along, though that can happen with any roomate. I think the big thing is, though, that you just might end up losing a friend if it doesn't work out as opposed to a random roomate whom you haven't had a deep friendship with. I also agree that rooming with your best friend will mean meeting less people. You'll probably stick with that person since you know them and not find new friends as fast.

runforfun529

I've always believed that you should not room with your friends unless you have already lived in a residential situation with them. Many people who are best friends in high school do not know the little idiosyncrasies of the other person that are only observed from living together. However, if you have lived in the same dorm (not necessarily the same room) as the person for an extended amount of time, you should know enough about their habits that you won't be surprised.

I think it mostly becomes a problem when friends don't realize that their best friend is a slob who loves to listen to screamo at 2 am.

brillar

Part of the college experience is meeting new people or having a chance to be a new person, and you don't get that as much if you're stuck together with a high school friend.

And I agree with runforfun- only room with them if you have lived with them for an extended time before. I can think of one person I could handle for a year- I would KILL all my other friends. Random people are the way to go, they're more considerate because they usually don't want to anger a stanger.

House of London

Oh Give me a break! Do you guys really believe that random rooming is the best way to go. I don't. I'm definitely against it and I'm planning on rooming with my best friends whom I've known for four years and trust me, even if I do get sick of him, I know for a fact that the school I'm going to this fall always has something going on. If I don't want to be in my dorm I can always leave to do something. Remember, you're not living in your parent's household and unless you're attending a school like Penn State which has a curfew, you're not bound to be in your dorm. In terms of meeting new people, the school I'm attending this fall (Syracuse) has approx. 11,000+ undergrads. I'm bound to make friends with more than enough people so that shouldn't be a worry. And besides, my best friend's friends are most likely going to end up befriending me as well and vice versa. Thats how strong our relationship is--the fact that who we meet end up liking us in turn and we always ultimately agree when it comes to knowing which friends are assets and which are liabilities. I highly suggest thinking twice before rooming with a random person. Although it may be an interesting and if lucky, beneficial experiences there are many cons to it.

You might end up disliking the person because of either of the following reasons.

1) Extreme Culture differences

2) Late night annoying habits (i.e. talking on the phone, lights on for a long time)

3) Sexual orientation (those who are homophobic especially)

4) Outside friend's annoying habits

5) Having sex with BF/GF (yes, believe it or not) while you are in the room.

6) Unsanitary behavior/ bad hygiene

7) Bland/Boring/Taciturn roommates (Those who hardly even say more than 3 words a day)

8) Psychopaths

9) Sorry to say this but roommates that are visually challenging (We all know what I mean hear)

10) Those who always ask you for money and leech on you like crazy opportunist (You would know if your best friends are like that. The always broke vs. the always loaded)

11) Thieves, liars, and/or cheaters

12) Ultra-competitive roommates (Those are really annoying)

13) The ones who snore real loud, sleep talk, and/or sleep walk (can be really creepy)

14) The ones who ends up having a crush on you the very first day (that can be extremely annoying)

15) Those who wants "EXTRA" quality time even though the signs are there that you do not like him or her.

16) Perverts

The list here are just a few sample roommate characteristics that are off the top of my head but of all the characteristics I'm sure when it comes down to your best friend vs. a random person, thinking about what type of person you might end up with might just make you go with one you know. My school doesn't let you switch roommates until after a month of spending time with them and I don't think I can survive a month with either types of people. I might just consider transferring out of the school instead. I know I may sound like a selfish & shallow snob but I really don't want to take that risk of being randomly assigned. I apologize if something on the list applies to some people here.

rodney

House: No, you don't sound like a "selfish and shallow snob"..... In the case of Syracuse's totally random roommate selection, I totally agree with you, although it's not really necessary to room with a high school friend; you could meet people on Facebook...Some people at Syracuse are doing that for next year; while they will not necessarily know all of their roommate's quirks, at least you can clear away some of the things on your list in advance...IMO, this totally random thing without some kind of survey is ridiculous..

In other cases, as others have stated, it probably isn't the best thing to live with someone you know...Back in the dark ages, in a random roommate selection process, I was placed with someone from my high school...It was fine, but it really depends on the people involved and how outgoing they are......

FYI, someone we know who jumped into the random roommate pool last year at Syracuse; ended up with a huge problem with your #6...Needless to say, they are not rooming together next year....LOL