One of the most stressful and exciting aspects of going into your first year of college is who your roommate is going to be. Will I like them? Will they like me? What if they stay up all night, or aren’t very clean? What if they like to go to bed early and are super clean?
Having a random roommate can be a fabulous experience because you may become best friends. However, if your random match seems a bit too random, Butler University opens a window of time to switch roommates or switch dorms.
Another option other than going random is to use Facebook as a resource to find a compatible roommate(s). When accepted into Butler, students are added to a group on Facebook with the rest of their class. Many students use Facebook to meet and chat with potential roommates instead of getting paired. By selecting their own roommate, some find peace of mind because the decision is in their hands rather than the school’s.
My Experience
My first year experience was unique because I lived in Fairview House during its inaugural year. I had six pod mates and all of them were randomly assigned except one, Sean, who I met on Facebook. Moving from high school to college, from home to a dorm, came with a lot of change for everyone. The year was filled with a lot of laughs and some of your typical first-year drama. Maybe we were always destined to be friends or maybe it was the circumstances of first year, but of my six roommates, I found two of my very best friends, Sean who I met on Facebook and Eric, who I will live with again next year.
Although we are very different, Sean and I can tell each other almost anything. He’s a supportive friend who has stood by me through thick and thin. When recruitment during Greek rush did not work out in my favor, Sean never turned his back on me even when he did receive a bid/invitation to join his now fraternity. I went to all his philanthropy events that I could fit into my schedule, and he came to as many of choral concerts as he could. We even had a near death experience when going to visit his best friend at Notre Dame where we slid on the road one snowy night!
Although Eric was randomly assigned to me my first year on campus, we realized pretty quickly that we had a lot in common. One of those similarities is that we are both very picky eaters. I can’t tell you how many times we took field trips to new local restaurants around Indianapolis to escape having to eat in the dining hall every day. I’ve gone back home with him and his girlfriend for Fall Break and finally had the opportunity to explore Chicago. Sure things aren’t always perfect…I can’t even count the number of times we’ve argued, but at the end of the day I know that Eric always has my back and vice versa.
No Perfect Formula
Like my own experience, there is no perfect formula when it comes to finding roommates. You may find two best friends, or probably just as likely, you may not. Stories of awful roommates are told all the time, but so are the stories of roommates who end up being groomsmen and bridesmaids. However, no matter the outcome, Butler provides a community for everyone to be a part of. College is a time for growth and learning, new experiences, and new people. So be optimistic about your first year at Butler and the people you will be surrounded by, because you can definitely create some of your fondest memories together.