Hi, future Eagles! Living and sharing spaces with new people can be hard, sometimes your Freshman year roommate is your best friend and sometimes you just cohabitate. Either way, we want to help you find a good fit. Here are some questions you can ask a potential roomie and to help you find your first UMW friend!
1. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Sleep is like currency in college, so this is a very important question. You may be a napper or a late night gamer. You obviously don’t need to go to bed at the same time as your roommate every night, but you’ll probably want to establish a semi-regular routine. If you’re early to bed and early to rise, try to find someone who matches your schedule!
2. How clean do you like to keep your spaces?
Asking and answering this question as honestly as possible is pretty important for a good roommate dynamic. You may not be used to cleaning up after yourself, but in college you need to consider the other people you share your spaces with. If you have clothes on the floor all the time and don’t like to keep your room super tidy, it may be better to find someone who lives similarly.
3. What temperature do you like to set the room to?
This one is oddly important! Nothing is worse than fighting over an open window or the AC setting. If you’re not interested in freezing in the night or waking up drenched in sweat, confer with your potential roommate, see what they prefer, and be open to a compromise.
4.How often will you have guests over?
This one is a little more difficult to gauge before you’re actually at school, but it is still very important to consider. If you don’t necessarily want frequent guests late at night, make that known to your potential roommate. However, if you know you want people over frequently, talk to your potential roommate and see if they’re okay with that. This is definitely an important question to revisit once you’re both settled in.
5. What are your interests outside of school?
While it isn’t a huge deal if you and your roommate don’t share many interests, it is nice to be able to come back to your dorm and trade stories with your roommate after a long day. As for extracurricular activities, you could find time to be on an intramural team, in a club, or even participate in a COAR service project together. It’s really cool to share parts of your UMW experience with your roommate, so ask about their interests in advance!
