Advice to incoming freshman: how to navigate living with other people

From the very first moment you are accepted to HPU every freshman has to go through the housing and roommate process for their first year. A lot of students can say that they like this because of the roommate form that gives the housing staff some idea as to who to pair with who, since freshmen don’t get the option to choose roommates. The form is supposed to be significantly beneficial and help students form greater connections with their roommates. 

 

However, sometimes a student will end up with somebody that doesn’t align with the information they filled out on the form, and sometimes those matches don’t work. 

 

Freshman year is already difficult enough with adjusting to a whole new environment, making new connections and figuring out your schedules and classes. The one thing new students coming into college should not have to worry about is their living situation, especially when there is a form involved that is supposed to push you in the right direction.

 

An anonymous freshman explained how they felt about this, “I put (into the form) night person, not a neat freak, keeps common space clean, that’s all I remember, but one of my suitemates doesn’t clean after herself in the common area.”

 

Another anonymous freshman said, “I put that I did not feel comfortable having boys in my room, but I got put with a roommate who is the complete opposite, as she registered her boyfriend, who didn’t attend HPU, as a guest, and let him sleep in our room, saying that she paid for the room. I paid for the room, too, and I paid for a double, not a triple.” 

 

Obviously, having a random person practically stay in your living space is less than ideal, but some other students had very different and positive experiences regarding this. 

 

Another anonymous freshman said, “My roommate is the absolute best! Although we are very different in sleep schedules and routines, we match up in almost every way. We are planning to room together next year as well. I definitely consider myself extremely lucky to call her my friend and roommate.” 

 

“Freshman year we were like a family once we got past the awkward stage, we were able to make a lifetime of memories,” said Connor Horn, a sophomore HPU Student. 

 

From the various opinions on the questionnaire and how it has impacted their living experience, some roommates actually get along pretty well and are even friends, but sometimes that can change. 

 

“Towards the beginning of the year, we were friends, but that quickly changed around October, when our differences in living styles clashed. After that, it was hard to coexist together because of the differences in sleep schedules, study habits, and personality traits,"said an anonymous sophomore student at HPU. 

 

This seems to be a trend within roommates – where the friendship varies from person to person. 

 

“My roommate and I are friends. We don’t hang out together outside of our dorm though, but we get along very well. On the other hand, a couple of my suitemates are not very good human beings. One left HPU though, so now that leaves that one suit mate,” said an anonymous student. 

 

“We watched Tangled in Spanish for my Spanish project. It was really fun to watch and I knew the plot well enough to understand what was going on, but at the same time I had no idea what was going on. The parts I didn't know were always backwards, so that was really funny,” said an anonymous freshman student. 

 

Being paired to live with someone based on a “random selection” may not be ideal. There are still numerous opinions that range from highly positive to struggling to even get along with their roommates since there is what seems to be a mishap in actually matching students up within their responses from the questionnaire. 

 

The experience is also what the student makes it to be. If there is a problem, it would be best to discuss it upfront or if it is a more pressing concern, address it to the resident assistant. And for those who do not like confrontation, simply shoot a quick text updating them on the situation.

 

Despite all the hurdles that are involved in freshman year and even the years onward regarding housing, there are still some important takeaways throughout this entire process. No matter how difficult some situations may end up being, at the end of the day there is always a positive even though it may be hard to find. 

 

“As a freshman, it made me feel better that there was one less thing I had to deal with moving into a new space and state. It allows us to branch out without too much thought behind it,” said an anonymous sophomore student.  

 

Of course, there are great things to say about the learning curve when it comes down to living with someone you don't know well, but there is always room for improvement. 

 

“Actually, listening to what the freshman survey says. If I’m being told that I will be with somebody who has similar living habits and styles as I am, I should be with somebody who matches me. Whatever the university does they should be open and upfront with the selection,” said an anonymous sophomore student. 

 

Now, you may wonder throughout all of this that the student body sure has a lot to say about this process and their emotions, but what do I feel? 

 

I definitely chose some options on the questionnaire which did not match up exactly with what I wanted. There have been rough spots, I will admit, which has been a huge learning curve of observing their habits of what I do not like and what I do. 

 

Some things that have happened within my dorm have been interesting and unexpected. Getting a noise complaint when I was sleeping and still almost having to pay a fine was a wake up call and taught me to stick up for myself. 

 

My greatest advice to freshman students who are worried about who they are going to live with is to fill out the questionnaire and be as honest as you can.