<p>if you go to columbia university and request a single, you have like a 50 percent chance of getting it. no attached bathroom, you share one with the rest of your hall, but it’s better than having a double.</p>
<p>I think it is great that many of the private schools feel strongly about equalizing living conditions for all freshmen. It would be horrible to have the rich kid/scholarship kid dorms! But it’s good that you are dealing with your aversion to roomates now; it might be good for your potential roomates if you seek out a sympathetic dean who will let you get your own off-campus apartment.</p>
<p>go to community college, you can live at your house.</p>
<p>Baby boomer here, and I’m so sorry that thread upset you enough to scare you off of trying to work with a roommate. I didn’t even read that thread; not worth my time. </p>
<p>My roommates were never my closest friends but they all taught me new things and enriched my college experience. One was a girl raised by a single Mom and up until that point in my life, I’d never met anyone without a nuclear family (shows how long ago!). She was much more clever than I was about getting things to happen, so the following year she helped a bunch of us on the hall (who had become a friendship circle) find housing nearby each other in a new kind of dorm. Without her I probably would have missed the lottery.
In my second year, roomiie was training for opera, so that opened up a world I knew nothing about. Third year, my freshman roomie came back to ask me to join so they’d be eligble for a beautiful triple. It was the best room in an old Victorian house, a tower; we were the envy of all. Senior year, I lived off-campus in a house but I thought that was overrated. </p>
<p>With my own kids, I encouraged them to stay on campus all 4 years since they’d have the rest of their lives to tangle with rents, landlords, cooking and all of that. They actually took my advice. My youngest, now a freshman, is jammed into a tripled-double and I thought that could be difficult, but the flexible attitudes of all 3 young men makes it all pleasant. They help each other when needed (only one has a car, for example), and work around each other so all can sleep and study. They are friendly, although not best friends. Actually I think if you aim for that, you’ll do better than expecting a roommate to be a best friend. Just go for “considerate.” </p>
<p>At S=2’s uni, the RA’s led a workshop during freshman orientation where everyone signed a contract so they could discuss the usual roommate minefields in advance (hours, cleanliness, noise). This gave them the chance to talk it all out ahead of time.
None of them had ever shared a room before, even if they were from families with sibs, and they were all concerned. You aren’t alone wondering about all this. You’ll likely have a chance to email your roomie, assigned in the summer befrore freshman year, to bring up any areas of huge concern, or wait until freshman orientation to discuss it before you set up your beds. There are earphones to cope with noise, agreements you can make together about quiet hours and guests, etc. </p>
<p>I recommend: put Baby Boomer stories into context. We’re now in our 50’s and 60’s. We remember the remarkable stories and love to swap tales for entertainment value. I think even if you asked the boomers on that thread, they’d tell you it’s better to try life as a roommate than never try at all. If they tell one crazy story, assume there are 3 other years that were non-eventful they’re not telling, since they don’t entertain.
I made minor adjustments with my own college roommates so we could get along nicely, but these are uninteresting stories so I can’t remember in detail. I recall the opera singer was an earlier riser than me, but she’d sing me awake instead of using an alarm clock that year. These minor adjustments were great practice for married life, BTW.</p>
<p>Maybe I should start a thread called “Baby Boomer Roommate Wonder Stories…” hmmm.</p>
<p>Anyway, good luck. I know it’s hard sometimes, and I noticed when visiting Hampshire College (a small-but-interesting LAC in Massachusetts) they only built singles for their dorms, with a social gathering spot at the end of each hall. My D almost went there for that alone, since as the only girl she had never shared a bedroom and was a bit worried. Nonetheless, she chose a different LAC for all the right reasons (program, atmosphere, finances) and had one decent roommate, one difficult roommate, and then singles on campus in her junior and senior year. Jr. year was a tiny room, Sr. year quite large (as many prefer to move off campus by then). She always shared a bathroom and didn’t seem to mind the flip-flops and bathrobe.</p>
<p>“snap out of it”</p>
<p>Seriously, this is ridiculous. Not having a roommate will be a major detriment to your social development at college. College is about experiencing new things, getting outside your comfort level a little bit and growing as a person because of it. </p>
<p>Remember that the thread you are scared about is a self-selected group of parents (CC in general) in a self-selected thread, who are telling stories from 30 years ago that have long been embellished with the stain of time. There was a commercial years ago (I forget what product) where a group of guys were playing football and one kicked a game winning field goal, and as the years went by, the story became one where he had a broken leg, the game was in the snow, etc, etc, so it became far more dramatic as they told it their girlfriends, wives, kids and grandkids. </p>
<p>In short, don’t let those stories get to you, and realize you’ll be missing out on a lot if you forgo a roommate.</p>
<p>Apples-let me tell you, as a Senior in HS I’m worried too (especially since all the colleges I want to go to I would have to live on campus). </p>
<p>But I’ve spent 10 days in a dorm with a whole floor full of total strangers. And let me tell you, it’s fun. My roommate and I weren’t best friends, but we never fought (she was very gracious about my being a bit messier than she was) and we got along quite well.</p>
<p>Plus. When you go to college, many schools nowadays (I don’t know how long this has been around) have you fill out a survery type thing so that they can place you with men/women who have similar interests and hobbies to you. Sort of an automatic ice-breaker.</p>
<p>Having roommates is really no big deal. Just be nice to them and (most of the time) they’ll be nice to you. Everyone’s just as new to this as you (again, most of the time).</p>
<p>As many here have said, getting a single room with a connected bathroom is very unlikely for freshman year if you live on campus. Now, there are certainly schools that don’t have a residency requirement and are located near appartment buildings that would allow you to meet your ideals for housing. But, as far as schools with residency requirements go, there are usually some single rooms without bathrooms that are open to freshmen, especially at private universities.</p>
<p>okay, Roommates are not that bad!!!</p>
<p>wow, sounds like you are going to make a lot of friends in college. Having a roommate is just a normal part of college. This is the last thing that you should be worrying about. If it really bothers you that much don’t go to college and live in your basement.</p>
<p>remember, that thread was ASKING for the roommate from hell stories. Which means, that is what you’ll read there.</p>
<p>Yes, there are horror stories. There are success stories. There in-betweens. There is also loneliness and isolation when a student is able to easily avoid social contact. Like so much else in “real life,” some of this is totally random. What you do with it is up to you.</p>
<p>If that is one of your biggest Biggest BIGGEST concerns
try looking at UCF
the Towers provide suites
you would not have a roomate but suitemates
plus, UCF is absolutely beautiful, on the rise, and has plenty of options
alumni are in full support esp. with a new stadium and everything
one of my top choices!</p>
<p>I was scrolling to the end of the thread to recommend the Towers at UCF. DS is there, and loves it! Although he has 3 “roommates,” he has his own private bedroom and only shares his bathroom with one other person. All 4 guys share the FULL (including oven and dishwasher) kitchen and living room. He LOVES it.</p>
<p>Average Honors SAT is somewhere in the 1300’s, and I am really impressed by the course offerings, advising, support, and class size.</p>
<p>Having roommates can be REALLY great. I absolutely loved my freshman roommates, one of them is my best friend. I can’t imagine having had a single as a freshman! </p>
<p>You really shouldn’t be so concerned about this. If you get placed with a bad roommate, you switch rooms. But don’t decide before getting to school that you want a single when you have no idea what it’s like to have a roommate or to be in college.</p>
<p>I contributed one of the boomer horror stories, but I would not have missed the dorm living experience for anything. Living with a group of your peers (from all over the country, from foreign nations - maybe, from cities and farms…) is an experience that shouldn’t be missed. If possible, try to get into a dorm that’s mostly first-year students. That’s the best bonding experience, though it can be interesting to have some upperclassmen around too.</p>
<p>Most roommate experiences work out fine. Those that don’t can be corrected. Go for it!</p>
<p>Yea, if it doesn’t work out, you can fix it…</p>
<p>I posted on that thread, too. I was an RA for two years, which gave me the chance to see up-close-and-personal some of the lousy choices some kids made. On the other hand, one of my roommates became my SIL!</p>
<p>I agree with the others that a suite might be a good compromise. Wish we’d had them then! </p>
<p>A big part of the college experience is learning to live with someone else. I tell my kids it’ll prepare them for when they one day have a S.O. and need to learn teh fine art of compromise… ;)</p>
<p>having a roommate makes you grow up and build character. do i want one? no. but i accepted it.</p>
<p>I love this thread. Having a roommate (and living in a dorm in general) is oftentimes as unpleasant as is often described. It’s absurd, disgusting, bizarre, tumultuous. Most people think it’s worth it, though. I certainly did.</p>
<p>well…i wouldn’t blame you for not wanting a roommate…that is sort of what I want too…dunno if it’ll be possible though…</p>
<p>I juss wouldn’t want to share a small room and a bathroom with another guy…I just can’t do it…I need to be free…</p>
<p>Lay off the girl. I’m a senior excited for living in a dorm with roommates and all (probably in a triple, unfortunately, though) but people want different things out of college. If she sees she’s missing out on a part of college that everyone else is enjoying, maybe she will change her mind. Then again, plenty of people who lived in dorms would be pleased not to be forced to live with people they never knew before and would otherwise never have talked to. It’s not some super-important part of life. It’s cool and fun and possibly enriching, but one can have a perfectly fulfilling life without roommates.</p>