Online dating… sorta

Next year we will all have to go through that process of meeting so many new friends. Well technically it started this year…

Most people find their roommates before the start of college. The process has a strong familiarity to online dating. Today I’m going to meet up with all of my roommates and while I’m in the college mindset, I thought it fitting to describe the “finding a roommate” process.

1.The post

The first step in the search is a post on Facebook. Colleges and universities all have separate groups for future students to join. Once you are in a group chat it’s time to post your roommate post. Most people structure the post as follows:

• Where you are from
• What you’ll major in
• What kind of dorm you want 
• What you’ve been involved in
• What you want to be involved in at the school
• You’re social media accounts
• Pictures of yourself
• Pictures with friends

2. Reaching out

This step has two components. First, is people reaching out to you. This means they either follow or add you on social media and then direct message you. A message to expect would be “Hey! I saw your post on Facebook and thought we seemed super similar! I’m also looking for a roommate so I thought I’d reach out so that we could get to know each other better!” This message goes along with the other component of this step, reaching out to other people yourself. Look through the Facebook group chat and read everyone’s posts. Look at their other socials as well. See what they like to do with friends or if they’re in a relationship. This kind of stuff can give you an insight into who they might be or if there are any red flags. If you think you’d get along with someone then add them on social media and send a message expressing your interest. After you send/get sent this message, reply!

3. Get to know one another

This step is definitely the most difficult. It can feel like you are having the same conversation with everyone you talk to. Most of the time people talk about what they do in high school and what they’re excited for next year. The most important thing to do in this stage is to try and branch out the conversation so that it is not just about college and so that you can try and get to know people on a deeper level. Easy ways to do this are asking questions like “So what do you do for fun?” Something to avoid in conversation is a checklist of the “perfect” roommate or oversharing. Saying things like “my roommate HAS to be organized and CANNOT be up late” will more than likely scare people away. Another thing to avoid is oversharing. I was talking to a girl at one point who was sending me 5-minute videos on her love life. I appreciated her being open but it was intimidating to have someone just through all their information at you after having one conversation. 

1. Don’t take it too seriously

Try to enjoy talking to everyone. Don’t get too caught up in the rush of finding a roommate. Enjoy each others company and see if you’d be a good fit for the next year. 

I hope this helped those of you who are looking for roommates! This was my experience when trying to find someone and I now have some great people I can’t wait to get to know even better!