High school seniors experience a unique sense of superiority. As the oldest students in the building, they run the school and have built a legacy of their own through academics, sports, music, and more.
As high school seniors approach the end of their academic journey, the prospect of stepping into adulthood looms large. For those planning to attend universities, this transition can be particularly daunting, with the added stress of scholarship applications, college selection, and summer planning. A significant source of this anxiety stems from the task of finding suitable college dorm roommates.
Grace Wilson, a senior this year, has chosen George Fox University for her higher education, where the process of finding roommates is notably systematic and well-structured. Termed as “dating,” this process allows incoming freshmen to provide detailed information about their hobbies, characteristics (such as their level of organization, friendliness), and personality traits.
After browsing through peers, you can message others that match your interests. However, Wilson didn’t need the George Fox “dating” program to get coordinated with dormmates; she’ll be rooming with Kiera Easterly, another student from Wilsonville.
Grace Wilson, who will be attending George Fox University, shared her unique experience. She and her roommate, Kiera Easterly, had been friends for a while and had a mutual understanding that living together would be a fun experience. This personal connection made the process of finding a roommate much easier for Wilson.
Michele Bashoury went through a similar process for finding a roommate. Attending the University of Oregon for Chemistry, Bashoury hopes to pursue a career in forensics. Oregon uses an app called Bunky, where incoming students can find peers with similar interests, just like the “dating” program that George Fox uses.
However, Bashoury was hoping to room with someone she’s familiar with, so Bunky wasn’t for her. “[Bunky] is good for people who want someone brand new. I didn’t really want that, but Bunky is good too.”
Like Wilson, Bashoury will be rooming with another student at Wilsonville but isn’t a close friend. “I found someone that I’m not close with, but I’m not awkward [around them] and I just wanted someone that respects my space.”
Searching for college roommates is all about personal preferences, and finding the right process that works for you. Wilson and Bashoury decided to go with familiarity over someone new, but different colleges supplement roommate search programs for incoming students looking for a new friend.