Are you a morning person or a night person? Neat or Messy? What’s your major? These are the questions that determine who you’ll be spending the majority of your freshman year with (and who you’ll be sleeping in the same room with). It’s inevitable, it’s not easy, and everyone's bio starts to sound the same.
Along with the dreaded introductory paragraph, you might also be invited to fill out a roommate questionnaire. The intent of the questionnaire is to give you roommate suggestions based on your compatibility. It’s basically a blind dating website for college students - except whoever you decide to “date” you’re going to be stuck with for the next year. These are questions you’re likely to be asked and what the answer to them really means:
1. Do you keep your room neat and orderly? Yes □ No □
Who is saying no to this question? If you’re considering checking no, PLEASE for the sake of your future roomie learn to tidy up or book yourself a single dorm. Nobody wants to live with someone who isn’t clean.
2. What time do you generally go to bed?
The next two questions are SO important. Your sleep schedule is likely to change once you get to college, so answer to the best of your ability. I’ll tell you the kind of person who checks each box:
- 9pm-10pm: Studious, go-getter, early-bird-gets-the-worm type. You prioritize your sleep schedule over everything, probably an 87 year old in an 18 year old’s body. No shame, own it!
- 10pm-11pm: People pleaser, likely checking the box that seems like the right answer. Probably REALLY going to bed before 10 but if someone keeps you up you’re not mad about it. You go-with-the-flow as long as “the flow” ends before midnight.
- 11pm-12am: Two kinds of people - nighttime studiers or doom scrollers until it's 11:47pm and they remember they have an 8am exam the next morning. Either way, there’s going to be a light on or noise being made until they finally decide to crash.
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1am or Later: Serious night owls who scheduled all their classes after 2pm so they could sleep in. If this is you, be honest and check this box. Otherwise, you’ll probably get paired with someone who turns off the lights at 10pm and opens the shades at 8am, interrupting your beauty sleep.
3. What time do you generally wake up?
Again, this question is very important and likely to change when you go to college. As an early-bird who roomed with night-owls, I’ll tell you this might be one of the biggest strains on a roommate relationship. Be as honest as you can be with this. If you like getting up before 7 and have all 8am classes, check that box! If sleeping in until 11am is the highlight of your morning, check that box! No wrong answers, just be a little self-aware and upfront about your habits.
P.S. These questions only go for the weekdays, by the way. The weekends are fair game for all night and morning routines to coexist.
4. Please check all that describe your study habits:
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Perfectionist: Likely Pre-Health major, has a vision board, will side-eye you if your bed isn’t made every morning
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I like to do what I need to get by: Not planning to get their Master’s or Doctorate, says C’s get degrees (I know, all the Pre-Health majors are jealous)
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Organized: Has color-coordinated notes and a study plan made weeks prior to exams
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Disorganized: Will blame the professor when they fail their exam (they just remembered that had a test two days ago and said “it’s basically all common knowledge anyways!”)
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Last-minute, stay up all night: Every college student does this at some point.
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Like to study at night: Will stay up with a light on, likely checked the “goes to bed between 10pm and 11pm” box but actually stays up until 12am studying
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Like to study during the day: Typical answer, either ACTUALLY likes studying during the day or will never touch a textbook in their entire college career
5. How do you feel about parties?
If you say you love them, you’re getting someone who has seen movies about college and is down for a wild ride. If you’re a “Once in a While” person, you’re just like 85% of students and you’re cool with a night in most of the time but once in a while you’re cool with letting loose. Checking “Not Interested” means you might be paired with someone more studious or who has other hobbies they want to pursue. All options are good! Just be prepared on all fronts.