How To Solve The Challenge Of Choosing A Roommate
Meeting people is part of what college is all about. Besides in the classroom or at study sessions, another common way students become introduced is by becoming roommates. Whether you’re living on campus or in off campus housing near Clemson, you’ll probably have a roommate. Ideally, your roommate is someone relatable who also shares in household duties. Some college roommates also support each other in their studies and even develop lifelong friendships. And while there are challenges to finding a person to live with, there are also ways to sidestep those challenges to choose your ideal roommate.
Potential Setbacks
On a student budget, living alone can be expensive, so students at Clemson usually share their off-campus housing with one or more roommates. So, unless you have a roommate picked out, you’ll probably need to find someone to share an apartment with, and that search process can involve setbacks.
Online Mystery Roommates
Incoming freshmen, transfer students, and other newcomers to Clemson aren’t likely to know many people locally who could serve as roommates. Consequently, one technique used to find roommates is posting ads on Cragislist, Facebook, or roommate websites. The problem with searching for a roommate candidate online, though, is you don’t have background information on the people, which makes it difficult to know how compatible you would be. Also, with a roommate who’s a stranger, you may not discover whether that person is trustworthy enough to pay rent on-time until it’s too late.
Randomly Chosen Roommate Matches
Roommates chosen at random are a reality students confront while living in dorms or other on-campus housing. It’s possible that random roommate pairings can result in the development of friendships, although, the chances are fairly low, on average, that two or more people who are arbitrarily housed together will live harmoniously. Besides, with your education at stake, there’s a downside to risking an uncomfortable environment that can affect productivity.
Methods for Finding Roommates
For students at Clemson off-campus apartments are an opportunity to live independently and grow personally, but the roommates you surround yourself with can either contribute to or detract from your development. To find reliable roommates who you’ll enjoy sharing an apartment with, there are trusted techniques available.
Sign Up For Roommate-Matching Services
A scientific process for finding roommates is a roommate matching service, which certain property managers of apartments near Clemson University offer to incoming residents. As opposed to a random pairing, roommate matching incorporates the characteristics of each person who applies for housing and matches those with shared traits. Using a roommate matching service doesn’t mean you’ll be paired with a twin version of yourself, but the service does ensure your roommates will at least have things in common with you. Furthermore, in student apartments, roommates sign individual rental agreements, so while trustworthiness is still an important personal characteristic, there’s also no shared liability for making monthly payments.
Live with Friends
Though it’s not an option for everyone, Clemson students who already have a developed group of friends can look to the people they know as potential roommates. Knowing the personality of a person means you’ll be more comfortable sharing an apartment with them. In fact, what many students choose to do is invite one or two friends to be roommates in a four-bedroom unit, but then use a roommate matching service to fill the remaining rooms in the apartment.
The Ridge Clemson is an off campus apartment community where Clemson students live comfortably thanks to furnished units, modern amenities, and individual rental agreements. Contact us for more information about student life in off campus housing!
