Hi! My name is _____ and I’m from Northern Virginia just outside of Washington D.C. I am 100% committed to _____ and I’m planning on majoring in ___. I love hanging out with my friends, hiking, and going out, but I also love staying in. I’m looking for a roommate, so feel free to reach out!

No matter what school’s page you land on, the same “appealing” template is seen repeated in some form or another. Often laundry lists of generally well-received hobbies, many people question the validity of social media as a method for finding a roommate, and whether or not it can truly determine if you “match” with someone.

From the traditional housing questionnaire to Craigslist advertisements, the system one uses to find a roommate as one enters a new phase of life varies from person to person, and dealbreaker to dealbreaker. While the increased accessibility of contact through the Internet has certainly improved the ease of the college admissions process as a whole, many people are still distrusting the “stranger” aspect in their prospective roommate searches. 

This concern has particularly grown following a rise in incidents on college campuses, one of the most prominent recent cases being the unprovoked murder of a Purdue University student in October of 2022 by his roommate. While going to college away from the safety of one’s hometown can often be a daunting task, the fear factor increases for most students when placed in a situation where they don’t know the person as well as they would a close friend. 

It’s risks and benefits such as these that Phoenix seniors like Isha Uppalli, Ankita Kamath, Shoumik Bisoi, and Ankur Gatupa are weighing before they make their final commitments this coming May while simultaneously putting down their housing deposits. 

Isha Uppalli and Ankita Kamath:

Q: Have you found a roommate and/or are you still looking for one?

Kamath: [Both of us] currently at the moment have not found roommates, but [we] definitely need to start taking the steps to do that.

Q: What part of the process do you still need to do?

Kamath: For me right now, I think the thing that’s holding me back is laziness. I need to find pictures of myself and send them to the Virginia Tech 2028 account, and start DMing (direct messaging) other people who have already posted, and find people who I think will compliment my personality. 

Uppalli: [I fully agree with her], but I’m planning on posting on the [admission] page [very soon].

Q: Do you think this method will be difficult, or fairly easy?

Kamath: I think it’ll be hard. There are so many aspects that I want in a roommate, and I’m just picky with people, but once I find the person, everything will be easy.

Uppalli: I [agree] with it being pretty hard, but after the regular decision comes out it’ll be easier because more people will start posting. 

Q: Do you think Instagram is a good platform to find a roommate on?

Uppalli: Instagram is the best right now, but I think Facebook is good too because I know a lot of people [from other schools] who use it. 

Q: Would you rather do the hard process of searching, or do random roommate matching?

Kamath: I’d do the hard process because I think in the end it would be worth it. 

Uppalli: I wouldn’t do [random rooming] because it is a little scary. They could be psychopaths.

Q: As “best friends,” did you consider rooming with each other?

Kamath: I definitely did consider it, but then I realized that sometimes it might not be the best idea because we will do everything together already, so it would be nice if we could branch out but still maintain our friendship.

Uppalli: Yeah, we actually talked about it a lot and made a whole pros and cons list, but we realized it was not the right move.

Q: What do you think about the Instagram posts and the extent to which they show genuine personality?

Kamath: I think you have to be a bit judgmental in the pictures because if you see activities that you yourself [also enjoy you would be more inclined to room with them]. 

Uppalli: After you DM them, talk to them, and meet them more, you get to know them a little bit better.

Q: Do you feel pressure to get a roommate fast?

Kamath: I feel so much pressure to get it done and have it set because of the [many] housing emails I’ve been getting.

Ankur Gatupa and Shoumik Bisoi:

Q: Based on your current situation, are you currently looking for a roommate?

Bisoi: I haven’t committed anywhere, but my top choice right now is Virginia Tech. I haven’t really looked much into the roommate aspect.

Gatupa: Yeah, I have not done anything yet.

Q: Are there any benefits to rooming with someone you know?

Bisoi: I think it’s just the social aspect that might be easier because it’s an easier way to make connections if you have someone there so you won’t feel isolated.

Gatupa: You won’t have any unexpected negative surprises, [whereas] if you got a random roommate, you don’t know what they could [bring], but if it’s a friend you would know. 

Q: What would give you more motivation to find a roommate?

Bisoi: If someone were to reach out [it would make it easier] and pique my interest.

Gatupa: Yeah, it’s just really if I know them [not necessarily if they live] in the local area.

Q: What are the downsides to Instagram roommate searching?

Bisoi: You just really don’t know [the other person]. You can communicate with them to a certain extent, but at the end of the day, if you are living with them 24/7, there are a lot of habits and daily routines that cannot align. 

Q: What are the downsides of rooming with someone you know?

Gatupa: Maybe something that you didn’t know about your best friend could come up and potentially ruin your friendship. Distance can be for the better.

Bisoi: Yeah, a lot of times with your friends being around them for too long, you distance yourself because you realize you don’t actually have that much in common.