As the May first college decision deadline looms closer, many seniors find themselves in a stressful position. Choosing a college or planning your post-high school plan is hard enough considering costs, environment, and what is the best fit for you academically. However, there’s another factor that greatly contributes to the growing list of stressors: finding a college roommate.
The search for a potential roommate most commonly occurs on Instagram. Most schools have an account for each class where future students submit pictures of themselves with a small description of what their interests are. Then, they are posted for everyone to see in hopes that others reach out. Messaging people on Instagram might seem easy enough, but it’s much more difficult than expected. Sifting though profiles on the college’s class page just to find someone you think you might get along with, then attempting to hold a conversation with meaningless small talk reminds me of what people do on dating apps, and it’s exhausting.
There’s also the issue of students being too nervous to post on these Instagram accounts, which have thousands of followers. So, how are you supposed to find a roommate if you don’t know anyone from that school? What if you make your college decision late and can’t find a roommate you like? I find that there are issues with the whole process. You could just let fate decide and get a random roommate, but honestly, that’s even scarier than posting on the Instagram page.
Not to mention, horror stories told by college students about their experiences with roommates don’t help the task. I’ve heard of roommates trashing dorms, partying a little too hard, or stealing valuable items. In an ideal world, your roommate could be akin to a best friend, but at the very least, you’ll be seeing them more often than not. Having a roommate you truly don’t get along with could be detrimental to your college experience. At the end of the day, if you’re simply finding a roommate based on what pictures they choose to let you see on Instagram, it can be hard to know who they really are as a person.
For current seniors, I would recommend meeting up with a prospective roommate before making the big commitment of moving in with them when school starts. Maybe even take a trip to your college with them and stay a few nights to see how you two get along.
Altogether, Instagram could potentially be a good tool to help you find a college roommate if you do your research on the person and have the patience to put up with all of the small talk.