OPINION
Who Should Your Roommate Be? BY LANEY ULOWETZ PHOTO EDITOR
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huge dilemma for every senior is finding the right roommate for college. There’s so many options. Literally. If you get on your school’s class of 2020 Facebook page, I guarantee you will find countless people posting paragraphs about themselves and why they would be your perfect roommate. So you stalk her wall, and you stalk her Instagram, and you stalk her Facebook some more. But what can you really gather about this total stranger other than what she wants you to see? The scary truth is that honestly, you can’t get much more than what she gives you. This is one reason why rooming with someone you know is a great idea. It doesn’t need to be your best friend that you’ve known for 12 years (and quite frankly it probably shouldn’t be), just a friend, acquaintance, or maybe a friend of a friend. There are no surprises when you room with someone you know - she won’t try to kill you in your sleep (hopefully) and doesn’t have some weird, obsessive infatuation with hamsters you didn’t know about. You won’t come to college totally alone because you’ve got a friend going into it. Maybe it takes you awhile to find your crowd and make some new friends; your roommate is someone who can include you in BY SOPHIE NEDELCO
What to Expect During Rush
Your roommate should be someone you know.
Letting go of familiarity will benefit you later in life as well. You probably share similar interests with your friends, and you might even look like them. Fearfully clinging onto people who resemble you will do nothing to help you in the future. The awkwardness of acquainting yourself with your random roommate will not only begin to prepare you for other uncomfortable firsttime meetings (think job interviews) but also open your mind to opportunities you would have missed had you stuck with the status quo. With a random roommate, you define yourself. You have an opportunity to try what is normally out of your comfort zone. According to research by the University of Houston, roommates influence one another’s decisions on which clubs, teams and social organizations to join. These groups will have a lifetime of influence on wider social networks. Who knows, maybe you will like Christian rock after all or maybe you will make it a habit to join her on her morning runs. Chances are, she will inspire you one way or another. What’s the worst that can happen? If my random roommate is a little crazy, I’ll have something to look back and laugh about later. If she doesn’t align with my morals, the experience will make mine stronger. If my random roommate doesn’t become my best friend and my dorm room doesn’t completely match, it’s not the end of the world, and in just a few months, at semester, I can find a new roommate.
Your roommate should be someone random.
CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF n just a few months, I will wake up next to a complete stranger: my random roommate. Does she stay up until 3 a.m. or wake up at 5 a.m.? Will our dorm room clash neon pink and green? Does she jam to Christian rock or Nicki Minaj? Basically, I have no idea who she is, where she’ll be from or what she’ll be like; and that’s the way it should be. As class Facebook groups, GroupMe and Roomsurf blow up with 18-year-olds scouring for roommates, the diminishing idea of a random roommate gathers dust in the corners of teenagers’ brains. In an age where teens judge a person’s character by the content of their Instagram, the idea of living with someone they have never taken a selfie with is terrifying. But for this very reason, a random roommate is essential for our generation. We have to break out of our screen-protected comfort zones to venture into the next chapter of our lives. This would be impossible with the last four years breathing old memories down our backs. You don’t want those reminders of your high school exboyfriend or drama-ridden friend groups to continue to haunt you past graduation. Rooming with your best friend or even your not-so-best-friend will limit you to what you were defined by in high school.The truth is that high school doesn’t last forever. So why would you want to bring it to college with you? Rooming with a friend, you would be more tentative to try new classes, clubs or sports. Even worse, you would feel obligated to invite this high school friend to every event. Sooner or later, friends get sick of one another. If you are really that good of friends with her, then you would still see each other around campus.
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plans. She can help you through anything that comes up once you’re at school - the awkward encounters, panic attacks, cramming for tests, lazy days, nights out - she’s always there. Going away to college can be tough, especially when you’re living out-of-state, so it’s nice to have a familiar face when you’re homesick. Orientation Of course before you go to school, your Go over recruitment schedule, roommate can help you through the stress of hitting what to wear and expect and deadlines or just random questions about college as meet your Rho Gamma or Rho Chi they come up. In a sense, she’s a built-in friend who (recruitment guide) and your small group. will be by your side the whole way. You can even shop for dorm decorations together, rather than just guessing what the other person is getting and trying Open House to coordinate based off of texts. Visit every sorority. Talk with the Long story short, rooming with someone you members and tell them a little bit know in college is one of the best decisions you can about yourself. make. Not only will she keep you comfortable in Tip: “The most difficult part of rush was the new environment, but she will help push you to come out of your shell and expand your horizons in keeping your energy up all day and all week college. You get the best of both worlds: a familiar long. It’s so important to keep smiling and keep your energy levels high because that will face and taste of home, as well show within every conversation you have.” as new friends, adventures, and Madison Hummel, Class of 2014 memories.
Philanthropy Day Houses will send out invitations telling girls they are interested in to return. Choose from your invitations which houses you would like to return to. During this day you will learn a little bit about each sorority’s philanthropy. Tip: “Be prepared with questions to ask each sorority. Find out if their values align with yours. That will make your decision all the better.” Georgia Evans, Class of 2015
Sisterhood Day Houses send out invitations again. Choose which you would like to see again. Get a better understanding of the values of each sorority and ask any final questions you may have. Tip: “Crash in a hotel room with your mom during the later days of rushing. As girls start getting cut, feelings are hurt and tears and drama start so it’s best to remove yourself.” Georgia Thompson, Class of 2014
Preference Day Houses send out invitations. Choose which houses you would like to visit for the last time. Tip: “Don’t pick a sorority based off of the size of their house or their decorations. Try to have a genuine conversation and ask yourself each time, ‘Could I be friends with these girls?”’ Evie Hauptmann, Class of 2015
Bid Day
You will receive your official invitation to join a sorority. Tip: “While recruitment week seems super dramatic and important at the time, it’s really not the end of the world if you get cut from a house you liked.” Kim Fryer, Class of 2014 LE JOURNAL May 2016
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