From my own experience, I know the first thing everyone wants to know about as soon as they’ve made their college choice is how to pick a roommate. And the Internet gives you plenty of opportunities to meet people, whether through the Facebook group or an outside site. But, in my experience, these sites and surveys aren’t necessarily designed to match you based on how well you’ll actually live together. They seem to focus more on matching you based on shared interests.
This doesn’t always work so well. Keep in mind that the number one, most important thing you can consider when picking a roommate is how effectively you will live together. While shared interests are great, you’ll meet people with shared interests in your classes, in your extracurricular activities, and at events. Your roommate needs to be someone you can live with. Remember that the friendly folks over at ResLife have been dealing with roommate conflicts every day for years, and the survey they give you is specifically designed to avoid those conflicts. Use that survey as an opportunity to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet, but who you can easily live effectively with.
Here is some general advice about the most important considerations to make when picking a roommate: