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When did/do you find out who your roommate is?

vwlizardvwlizard 381 replies36 threads Member
in Prep School Cafe
DS doesn't get roommate information until he gets to campus. Is this how all schools do it for first-year students? Just wondering if it was the norm.
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Replies to: When did/do you find out who your roommate is?

  • skieuropeskieurope 41108 replies7749 threads Super Moderator
    edited July 2019
    Is this how all schools do it for first-year students?
    Not all, no. While some schools let students know in the beginning of August, at many others, they don't find out until they get to campus.
    edited July 2019
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  • dramakid2dramakid2 279 replies3 threads Junior Member
    My son didn’t find out who his roommates were until he got to school. Although since he was placed in a triple, the school did email us about 2 weeks in advance to let us know he would be living in a triple.
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  • Golfgr8Golfgr8 1669 replies24 threads Senior Member
    Like @dramakid2 stated above, golfkiddo did not find out @ roommate until arriving on campus and moving into the dorm. A few years ago, the school decided it was best to wait until move in day to reveal dorm room assignments and roommates for Freshman. Older students new to school find out in late July or early August. Bon Chance🙏
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  • RedLionessRedLioness 178 replies2 threads Junior Member
    Personal understanding: my school reveals roommates in mid to late August for incoming 9th graders
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  • CavsFan2003CavsFan2003 947 replies74 threads Senior Member
    Depends on the school, like others have said. At Choate, you don't learn until move-in day if you're a new student.
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  • RedLionessRedLioness 178 replies2 threads Junior Member
    That must be terrible! I have a hard enough time waiting until mid-August. Waiting till September would be torture!
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  • skieuropeskieurope 41108 replies7749 threads Super Moderator
    edited August 2019
    That must be terrible! I have a hard enough time waiting until mid-August. Waiting till September would be torture!
    In the grand scheme of things you need to wait for in life - SAT scores, college decisions, Christmas, turning 21 - waiting 2 weeks to find out the name of ones roommate should be pretty low on that totem pole.
    edited August 2019
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  • RedLionessRedLioness 178 replies2 threads Junior Member
    @skieurope not really, with the exception of college decisions. Think about it - how long are SAT scores going to matter? Until the application cycle is over - max two years. How long does Christmas matter? A day at most (and less for some people who don't celebrate Christmas at all). How long does turning 21 matter? I don't even know if that matters unless you want to drink.

    But your roommate? That's your first relationship at a new school you will hopefully be at for 4 years. At my school, you don't switch dorms so they'll be in your dorm all 4 years. That matters at least for a year, at most for all 4.

    At any rate, I'm not terribly patient since I'm so excited to start school. Any news is good news at this point and gets me all riled up! The curiosity of which dorm I'll be in and who my roommate is going to be is just killing me! (Especially since I'm waiting to be able to talk to her before I buy anything like a rug or other shared dorm commodities)
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  • vwlizardvwlizard 381 replies36 threads Member
    I'm wondering if schools delay the decision to cut down on helicopter parenting and social media searchers.
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  • skieuropeskieurope 41108 replies7749 threads Super Moderator
    (Especially since I'm waiting to be able to talk to her before I buy anything like a rug or other shared dorm commodities)
    As I've said many many times on this site, unless the dorm room is a cookie cutter, which is not the case for many BS dorms, it's folly to buy stuff before seeing the space.

    In regards to waiting the 2 weeks having a huge impact on a 4 year BS experience, we'll have to agree to disagree. It is what it is.
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  • RedLionessRedLioness 178 replies2 threads Junior Member
    also a true and valid point, and something I've considered after reading through the recent threads. Since my parents might be staying in the area a few days, we might just go shopping for dorm furnishings afterwards. I'll see how it pans out.

    Alright, that's fair.
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  • RedLionessRedLioness 178 replies2 threads Junior Member
    Exeter dorm hall information is out and will be out officially on August 23rd
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  • CTMom21CTMom21 606 replies2 threads Member
    @vwlizard, I think that’s exactly why they delay. Any sensitive information that’s distributed early, guaranteed some kids (or more likely parents) will complain. I know parents (different school) who complained that the kid got a single when he’d requested a roommate, and no. Change was made. In that situation, people are starting off unhappy. DS learned on registration day freshman year, and in his and nearly all cases in his class, the roommate assignments worked out just fine.
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  • RedLionessRedLioness 178 replies2 threads Junior Member
    @CTMom21 it's very strange you bring that up... I'm in the exact situation of "got a single but want a roommate". Fortunately, I convinced my parents to let me wait it out a few weeks.
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  • CTMom21CTMom21 606 replies2 threads Member
    @RedLioness, definitely give it a go! I think DS’s friend’s parents (this was 2 years ago) pretty quickly figured out that a single was just fine — you're In the dorm but have more privacy, more control over socializing, quiet time, neatness, plus less germs, which becomes meaningful once kids start getting sick in the winter. DS’s roommate situation worked well for 2 years but they ended up going their separate ways, and he is thrilled to now have a single. Good luck to you!
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