As high school seniors get ready to head off to college they must consider one very important factor for the upcoming year: their roommate.

Living in the world we live in now it’s never been so easy, yet so hard to find a college roommate. With social media like Facebook, Instagram and GroupMe, finding a roommate is almost like online dating, but for friends. 

To find a roommate or some new friends, you must show your fellow incoming freshmen a little bit about yourself; you send in some pictures and write a little bit about yourself. The paragraph would include where you’re from, your hobbies, things you hope to get involved with in college and whatever else you feel the need to add. 

Of course there is still the option of finding a roommate randomly instead of planning ahead. Finding a roommate randomly allows you to branch out and maybe meet someone you would have never talked to before. Many great friendships are formed from random rooming because it’s not a forced friendship. For the spontaneous people in life, this may be a good option for you normally, but you may question this decision for the upcoming fall semester. 

With everything going on with the pandemic, the roommate game has begun to change along with many other aspects of college. Schools all over the country are trying to figure out if they will be coming back to campus in the fall, and with that, there might have to be adjustments with roommates. 

For the schools that are coming back, many people still need roommates, but what they are posting in their social media blurbs might be  a bit different now. Many people who were once considering going random may begin to rethink this decision for the safety  of their health and education. 

The questions from potential roommates have shifted from “what’s your favorite thing to do on the weekends?” to “how many people have you come in contact with in the last few months?” It’s an unsettling feeling to think that your future roommate may not be based on someone you could be friends with but rather someone who is covid safe. 

Although there are many factors involved with going to college, finding a roommate can have a big impact on your experience at the school. Of course, no incoming college freshman was expecting to have to consider these additional pandemic-related factors when making the decision to take their education a step further. Staying open-minded and hopeful throughout the process will majorly benefit everyone in the roommate-finding and college journey.