So you’ve just chosen a college, decided on a major, and now you have to make another big decision: choosing a roommate! The roommate search may feel scary, but these resources and tips are sure to ease the process for you!
The first place admitted students can look to find a roommate is School’s App. Schools App is an exclusive social network for admitted students which can be accessed with the same email students used to apply to the University. You can download the app (available from Apple App Store and Google Play) on your smartphone and meet other soon-to-be Redbirds, making it easy to connect with your future classmates (or roommates!). There is a School Feed section where you can post about looking for a roommate, ask questions, or just make new friends prior to attending school.
The next place you can look is the Illinois State University Housing Portal. This portal can be used to create a profile and pair you to a roommate that best matches your interests and expectations of a roommate. This portal will also be used later to complete a community agreement, roommate bill of rights, and to select your room.
When meeting someone new within Schools App or the Housing Portal, here are some great first questions to ask to get a feel for what kind of roommate they would be:
- Where are you from?
- What are you majoring in?
- What do you like to do on the weekends?
- What time do you usually go to bed?
- Would you consider yourself to be a clean freak or somewhat messy?
- What kind of music do you like?
- What is your favorite food to eat?
With these different resources and tips, the roommate search will be a breeze. Just make sure to start the search as soon as possible—why wait to meet one of your soon-to-be friends?
