Incoming college students often stress over who their freshman year roommate will be. If you ask just about anyone who chose to go “random,” meaning they were placed with a stranger, there are a plethora of stories that will ensue. However, through social media, students have been connecting with their peers to find someone they believe they can dorm with. But does this method work consistently for St. John’s University students?
Some interesting and bizarre stories can come from choosing to go “random.” Alex Overton, a current senior at St. John’s University, recalled their unique experience living in a triple in Donovan Hall freshman year. “One of my roommates brought her parents, stepmom, uncle, and brother to move in,” Overton said. “We only had two closets for three people, and she came in with giant suitcases and filled all the closets herself.”
This lack of communication was evident when Alex shared that “we came in the room one day and all of her stuff was gone — she had moved out after a month.”
Senior Natalie Rojas moved to DaSilva Hall at St. John’s University in her freshman year, where she was placed in a triple. During their move in process, the roommates were required to fill out a housing contract — and in this contract they agreed to keep their room set at 70 degrees auto.
“When spring semester came around and the temperatures were dropping, one of our roommates started lowering the unit to 50 degrees – and this became a huge problem when my other roommate and I would come in from 20 degree weather,” Rojas said.
Rojas states she took matters into her own hands: “Eventually I put my foot down and really enforced the contract, and she didn’t like that, so she moved out two days later. My other roommate and I lived pretty comfortably after that!”
However, despite the unnerving stories, long-lasting friendships can be developed from being placed with a random roommate. “I went into freshman year without even knowing where my roommate was from or ever having an entire conversation with him, to him now being one of my best friends,” said senior Dawson Hughes.
Kelly Kreuscher was placed in a quad in Hollis Hall freshman year and was extremely nervous to be living in such close quarters with three strangers.“Our rooming situation went really well,” Kreuscher said. “Everyone was super chill and if there were any little things that came up they never became bigger issues which is probably the key to it all.”
Moving in with a stranger is definitely a scary experience, but it can lead to lifelong friends and great experiences can come of it. With social media, people can now communicate in groups or message each other to find a roommate, so the chances of finding a good fit are high.
