Matchmaker, matchmaker

In this age of high-tech wizardry, you might assume that a sophisticated computer screens all of a college’s roommate applications. Not so, says Tracy Cree, associate director of Residential Services at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. She personally matches all of the approximately 700 applications that cross her desk. “It takes about two days to complete the process,” she says. Cree notes that even some of the larger academic institutions in the country still process the applications by hand.
Kimberly DeMeo, assistant director of housing and residential life at Emerson College in Boston, says that because Emerson’s housing applications are general, she and her staff sit down and read each completed form. “It’s not that difficult,” DeMeo says. “We generally separate the applications into piles based on gender and building preference and then start plugging them into rooms.”

Finding a good match
Most housing applications follow a standard format that requests information regarding study, smoking, sleep and other habits. Schools realize that pairing you with someone with a similar study style is critical to your success. Once the residential-life staff has separated applications into categories that reflect similarities in these key areas, they attempt to inject variety and diversity into housing situations. “Usually, roommates can adjust to someone else even if they are enrolled in a different course of study, have different preferences in sports and don’t share the same musical likes,” Cree says. Like other schools, Vassar College in New York pairs students with similar interests, but also tries to couple those who have diverse geographical backgrounds.
According to Faith Nichols, director of residential life at Vassar, the aim is to promote exploration into different cultures. Special requests Students may make special rooming requests for medical or other reasons. You might choose to room with a familiar face—a former classmate, friend or neighbor. WPI will usually grant such wishes, as long as both parties agree to the arrangement, says Cree. “If one student makes a request and the other doesn’t, we won’t honor that,” she says. “There could be a situation where one student thinks the relationship is better than the other one does.” She cites instances in which best friends in high school become college roommates and find they can’t continue the relationship in the same way they had previously.
Are you mismatched? In spite of sincere efforts, sometimes the worst does happen: You and your roommate cannot agree on anything. Try to ride out the situation, suggests Cree. “Your roommate might have posters of heavy-metal bands around the room when you first walk in,” Cree explains. “If you are a country-music fan, you might automatically assume that you won’t get along.” But there had to be some similarities to bring the two of you together in the first place. You don’t have to become best friends with their roommates. But if problems still exist after the initial adjustment period, the school might make an effort to change your housing arrangement.
One of the biggest problems in the roommate-selection process is self-reporting. “Some kids might get a non-smoking room when they are smokers,” Nichols says. “Or, they might be matched with someone who goes to bed early when they are night owls.” Honest answers from you are the best way to ensure a compatible roommate match. If you give your school a clear and sincere self-portrait, you’ll have better odds that your roommate experience will be a positive memory.

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