Hey, everyone! With roommate selection quickly approaching I thought it would be a good idea to come up with some questions that you should ask your potential roommate. Today, we have the ability to meet potential roommates online through Facebook and other social media platforms. During my roommate selection process, I can remember how weird this was for me. It felt like online dating. I ended up finding my Freshman roommate on Facebook and even today, as a Junior, we are still roommates! Even though this may be new and strange for you, it is how a majority of incoming Freshman students and Transfer students are meeting roommates and friends. It’s weird for everyone! Although your Freshman roommate may not be your last roommate, you want to choose someone who will help make your first year of college a positive experience! Here is a list of questions that I used to help me find my Freshman and forever roommate!
What is your major/minor? A common question that is, of course, a great way to figure out if you and your roommate share the same interests and maybe even some of the same classes!
Incoming Freshman or Transfer? How much college experience do they have if any.
Where are you from? Get a feel for where they’re from. Small town/big town. Helps you get to know them better as a person.
Do you have any siblings? This allows you to get to know who you’re living with a little more. Also, it lets you know if they are used to living with other people
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? This one is important! It introduces you to their personality! If they are the type to want to go out and be around people or if they would rather keep to themselves.
What residence hall do you want to live in? Like every person going to Oswego, we want to find the perfect residence hall. Find out what that perfect match is for your potential roommate. Or figure out why they chose the one that they did and you may change your mind on which residence hall you want to live in!
Do you have any friends coming to the school as well? This may be nice in order to expand your friend group and get to meet more new people!
How clean are you? Cleanliness can make or break a relationship. For me, I gave my roommate a fair warning that I was a bit OCD when it comes to cleanliness. By letting her know this she was very respectful of my space and made it a priority of hers to keep her side of the room clean as well.
What time do you wake up in the morning? It is important to know if your roommate is a morning person. No one likes to sneak around their room all morning until 1 pm when your roommate wakes up. That is unless you both wake up around the same time. Find someone who has the same sleeping habits as you. That way you won’t have to worry about waking your roommate up or your roommate waking you up.
What time do you go to bed? This is an important one. Generally, night owls go well with night owls and early bedtimes go well with early bedtimes. That way no one is keeping each other up getting on anyone’s nerves. Try to find out as much as you can about this person’s late-night habits and how they’re likely to affect yours.
Are you active? It might be a good idea to know active your roommate is. Maybe you are looking for a potential gym buddy. Or someone to go swimming with down at the flat rocks. Maybe you would enjoy playing some intermural sports every now and then.
Any clubs/organizations you want to join? In Oswego, we have over 100 clubs to join. We also have numerous Greek organizations and sports teams. Although these are all amazing opportunities, they can be pretty time-consuming. If you do not like being alone all the time then it is probably not a good idea to be roommates with someone who plans on being an active member of campus. On the other hand, if you do plan on getting involved, which you should, it would be nice to have someone take the journey with you!
Hobbies? What do you do for fun? This is just to see if they will enjoy doing the same fun things as you! Or maybe they do certain things that you would like to learn more about.
How often do you spend on school work? Is school work important to you or are you just here for the college experience? I would hope that not everyone attends college just to party, but it is always a good question to ask.
How often do you like to party? Are you the type of person that likes to go out Monday – Sunday, maybe your just a weekend partier, or maybe you enjoy doing other things such as Netflix and Open Mic!
What do you do on the weekends? This is a good question to determine if you have shared interests and whether your future roomie is a party animal or a homebody. Everyone enjoys different things and no matter the person, no judgments, either way, it is an important question to ask.
Do you like to have friends over? This is a polite way to ask if they are going to turn your dorm into party central no matter what day of the week.
Do you smoke? Although our campus is smoke-free, if you can’t handle the smell, even though they can’t smoke on campus, it tends to stick to their clothes. If it bothers you then it is an essential question to ask. It is important to be upfront about this topic.
What time do you schedule your classes? Sometimes roommates do in fact need alone time. It may be a good idea to schedule your classes at different times so that you get your much-needed space. On the other hand, if you have the opportunity to take a class together, go for it!
Do you like to go to the library? Because of the small study space of dorm rooms, it is a good question to ask. If your roommate is always in the room studying, that could be annoying because you can’t really be loud. If one goes to the library and one stays alone in the nice quiet room, then that’s great too!
Do you expect a lot of out-of-town visitors? It is good to know if you plan to share your already small living quarters with others. Especially if it is happening more often than not.
Are you bringing a car to campus? Form of transportation.
What do you want in a roommate? Cliche but good to ask!
Anything else I should know? Or 3 fun facts! It’s your time to shine! If there is anything else you want your potential roommates to know about you let them know! If not add 3 more additional fun facts about yourself!
There you have it future Lakers. A few conversation starters to help you get to know potential roommates and friends! I hope this allows you to meet the perfect roommate that will make your Freshman year the best that it can be as my Freshman roommate did for me!
Here are the questions to copy and paste into the SUNY Oswego Accepted Students: Class of 2021 Facebook group, let people know more about you!
What is your major/minor?
Incoming Freshman or Transfer?
Where are you from?
Do you have any siblings?
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
What residence hall do you want to live in?
Do you have any friends coming to the school as well?
How clean are you?
What time do you wake up in the morning?
What time do you go to bed?
Are you active?
Any clubs/organizations you want to join?
Hobbies?
How often do you spend on school work?
How often do you like to party?
What do you do on the weekends?
Do you like to have friends over?
Do you smoke?
What time do you schedule your classes?
Do you like to go to the library?
Do you expect a lot of out-of-town visitors?
Are you bringing a car to campus?
What do you want in a roommate?
Anything else I should know?
3 fun facts!
ntario. It’s so fun seeing other people utilize the lake, swimming, hanging out on the rocks, making campfires, or walking along the shore. Whenever I am not in class you can catch me hanging out at the flat rocks or studying down by the water. Even walking, going for a run, or just being near the water gives me a sense of home. Although my peers may not have had the same experiences that I have with water, I feel like we can all find a sense of calm and peace in the water that surrounds this school. I am so thankful for the lake which surrounds Oswego. It really makes this town my home away from home and I am happy to have spent the last four years at such a beautiful campus.
