For current seniors, March marks a monumental time as many are finding out decisions from schools and others are already committed to a college. However, once this decision is made by seniors, it opens a whole new world for them as they delve into housing applications, travel plans and what is arguably the most daunting, choosing a roommate.
Majority of schools have their own systems of matching roommates through forms where students put their interests and also important information about how they live such as the time they wake up/go to bed, how clean they like their room, etc… This process is tried and true, however, it is not able to match personalisitoes with students. Two students may be the perfect match on paper, but once they start living together, clash and result in awkward or uncomfortable situations. Many schools streamline this process through instagram pages where students can send in a a couple pictures and sentences about themselves, with some pages even charging students to post. However, once the post is up, it is available to hundreds, even thousands of upcoming freshmen at the same college, all likely looking for roommates too. Each post gives insight on the person to where someone could know whether they would make a good roommate or not, and typically leads to further conversations via Instragram direct messages (dms).
“I found my roommate through my class of 2028’s Instagram page and I believe it is such a great resource to put yourself out there and meet new people. I have already grown so close with my roommate.” Said senior Reese Lancaster.
These instagram pages are not simply for finding roommates however. They are good opportunities to connect and reach out to those who will soon become classmates and also could serve as the deciding factor for others who are choosing between colleges by seeing the potential student body at a college.
The role social media plays in college decisions continues to grow and evolve, the use of it in the roommate process is only one of the many uses it when deciding on a college.
