While understanding the views of people who feel finding a college roommate on social media is overhyped, I’m fully behind the social media roommate movement. Social media opens up a variety of new avenues for people who feel their personalities can best be displayed by their online profiles. Many arguments against this claim that using Facebook to find a roommate can be seen as pretentious and judgemental. When you begin your roommate search, you need to consider what type of person you see yourself living with. This person does not necessarily need to be your best friend for your entire college career; however, they need to be someone that you don’t mind sharing a room with. Using Facebook to meet your future roommate is a phenomenal way to connect with someone who might be the perfect match for you. OHS Senior Gabi Zeman decided to find her roommate on Facebook. Zeman said, “I wanted to make sure I would get along with the person I’m going to live with for a whole year.”

By opening up communication with future students, you are able to forge new relationships. These relationships are typically interest-based and have the potential to become something more. On the Class of 2020 Facebook pages, you are free to peruse the friends list, and look for people that you feel reflect a similar style to your own. Admittingly so, this can be difficult at times. Luckily, these Facebook pages offer you the ability to post a description of yourself on their timeline. These descriptions have a wide range of styles, but they all contain the same basic components; your major, studying/partying ratio, extracurricular activities and plans for future school involvement. These components are crucial for analyzing who you want to be in contact with.

OHS Senior, Karissa Hilstad, has seen her relationship with her future roommate flourish because of social media.  She said, “We went from complete strangers to chatting on Facebook everyday to meeting in person at UW-Eau Claire, and I’m going to visit her hometown later this month!” If it weren’t for the social media hub Facebook, Hilstad wouldn’t have developed the flourishing relationship that she has today with her future roommate.

Using Facebook to find a roommate provides students with a terrific resource to network with potential friends, and a potential roommate. Establishing a social network at your future school will lead to social success and will also have a significant impact on your academic success.