College is the time for new experiences; no one would suggest otherwise. But how much importance should colleges place on providing new experiences for incoming freshmen? How valuable is it to room with a stranger? New York Times opinion writer Anna Altman explores these questions and comes to a definitive conclusion in this article from September 2014.
Read it here: Altman, "A college education should include rooming with a stranger”
- Altman makes no mystery of her position; in fact, it’s right there in the title of the article. Still, she doesn’t ignore opposing arguments. How does she present opposing views? What kind of attitude does she display toward them? Reasonable? Mocking? Respectful? Belittling? Does Altman’s treatment of opposing views enhance her own argument? Why or why not?
- The evidence that Altman presents primarily comes from “experts,” that is, scholars and journalists who have researched the topic of roommates. Would Altman’s argument have been strengthened by including interviews with current dorm residents who have roommates? Why or why not?
- Suppose you are trying to find a roommate on Craigslist. What qualities would you look for? How much importance would you place on the person’s similarity to you? Would ethnicity matter? Social class? Shared interests? Why or why not? Explain your reasoning.
- Whether or not you have had the experience of living in a dorm or apartment with someone you didn’t already know, you almost certainly have opinions about it. Write an essay in which you respond to the question of whether rooming with a stranger is (or would be) a valuable experience, using Altman (and any of her sources) as your They Say. Support your ideas with your own experiences and those of people you know. In your essay, include some reasoned and respectful discussion of opposing views.
They Say I Blog 
1)The opposing views are presented with the good aspects of having a roommate. She shows the bad mixed with the good. The way she says the opposing views is more like facts; these things came happen when having a stranger for a roommate, but here are some benefits. I think that the opposing views help her argument, for there are less negative aspects then there is positive aspects.
2)Yes I think that interviews with current students would help support her argument, as long as they were on the positive side. It would be nice to hear what the students’ think about when it comes to having a roommate. A positive interview would strengthen Anna’s argument, where a bad opinion would contradict her article.
3)I would want a roommate who wouldn’t mind my crazy schedule. With my participation in sports, my schedule changes from week to week and sometimes hour to hour. They could not be a neat freak, but also not a slob. A little mess to me is okay, for I am not a neat freak. It would not matter to me what race they are, or how much money they have. As long as they can help pay the bills and the basic necessities.
4)I believe that rooming with a roommate is a valuable experience that everyone should have. A roommate pushes you to your limits, and you find out a lot about yourself and your roommate in the process. You learn what is like for people that are not in the same class or background as you. You learn how to compromise and communicate with people, and how to be in close quarters with someone for a long period of time.
LikeLike
Altman respectfully acknowledges the opposing argument, but that does not necessarily enhance her own. It should still be up to the student to choose if they have a random roommate or not. While she believes it makes for a better college experience, that may not hold true for everyone.
I don’t think interviewing current college students would enhance her argument. The evidence that Altman is presenting is not, in my opinion, enough to convince someone to side with her. Those interviews with college students would also probably have a good mix of students who agree and disagree with Altman.
I would probably not look for a roommate on Craigslist. If I were, I would probably look for someone with similar interests. Ethnicity doesn’t matter, their grade level doesn’t matter, just as long as I can get along with them.
I would want to live with someone I know. I know people who room with people they know and they have great stories about it. Most stories I’ve heard about people rooming with strangers have been horror stories; they don’t get along with them and they just want out. I respect people’s decisions with their roommate situations, but I would personally want to room with a friend.
LikeLike
1)Altman has wrote a very easy read article where she tries to persuade the readers that not only having a roommate is beneficial, but that having a roommate that doesn’t share similar qualities with you could be even better. In the article she does talk about how freshman have the option to live in a single room or how they can “pick” a roommate by figuring out similar interests that you could possibly share with others. It is easily seen that Altman would rather everyone go the old school way and get put with a roommate at random, but she doesn’t completely knock the other ways of going about rooming with others. 2) The argument of having a roommate picked at random because that can help teach you many life lessons is a great argument in itself, it would only be enhanced if the author added in real life college roommates and got their opinion on rooming together. 3) If I was looking for a roommate on Craigslist I wouldn’t want to room with a Debby-Downer, but I can’t say that I would be too specific about what types of qualities they would have. As for similarities, it is good to have a few things in common but, I would hate to be too much like my roommate. I would want to have a few things in common, but it is always a good thing to have to cope and get along with differences among people because that is the way it works in the world. Neither social class or ethnicity would matter to me, I mean, why should it? Interests wise, when I first came to college this year I wasn’t really friends with many athletes, but since being here it seems like majority of my friends play a sport of some sort. That being said if I were to say no way to having a roommate with Different interests than me I might miss out on a whole group of great friendships, and who would really want to do that to themselves?
LikeLike
Going to college can be a scary experience and it can be made even more frightening when you share rooms with a complete stranger. This idea however frightening it may seem to new freshman is actually very important to the college experience. College is supposed to be a time when you grow, create your own opinions and have your horizon broadened. If you are constantly surrounded with like minded people who share the same beliefs and upbringings then change will be difficult. Having to come in contact with new people who share different beliefs is the best way for you to grow and get the most out of your college experience.
LikeLike
Having a roommate who is very different from you is very helpful. You can become much more comfortable in different racial and socioeconomic groups. Not only that, but you’ll be able to better deal with differences and handle a situation where someone might be annoying, rude, messy, etc., which will help in everyday life. When you graduate college and have a career, you will have to deal with people who are very different from you, and by experiencing that in college, you will be more prepared for it in the future.
LikeLike
1) Altman presents opposing views with respect and a certain fairness. She makes sure that every aspect of the argument in shared in her essay.I believe that Altman’s treatment of opposing views does enhance her argument, for she shows the reader everyone’s views besides hers in order to show that she was open to other opinions as well. 2) Altman’s argument would have definitely strengthened if she were to include interviews from current dorm residents with roommates, because they are the ones going through the topic she is speaking of and they would be the ones to have the most specific examples and biggest opinions on the idea of random roommate signing. 3) The qualities in a roommate would have to be similar to mine. I would look for someone that likes sports and doesn’t drink too much. Social class and ethnicity would not matter to me. 4) Rooming with a stranger would, in my opinion, be a valuable lesson for me. I would notice his flaws right away. I would hope to be with someone that shares some of the same interests as me, as opposed to none at all. Some would say that this is a bad idea because he or she might have already been in a situation like this before and only received the worst possible scenarios. This experience could lead me to accept the flaws of my friends back home after knowing how horrible other people are with me as a roommate.
LikeLike
Altman uses so much outside information to prove her point. I think thats smart that she uses credible sources, but I think her article would make more sense to have her own personal research in her article. With all these outside sources it almost make her article seem like a research paper, but overall I think the topic is definitely something that interests college students and is well explained to where her audience, a possible college student, can understand the article.
LikeLike
1)Altman enhances her argument by listing off reasons students may not want to live together, but doesn’t belittle the idea as to make readers that believe otherwise to not want to finish reading.
2) Altman’s argument would have been much stronger by asking current students about random roommates because it would allow us to see how the students really feel about it.
3) Ethnicity and social class would have nothing to do with me judging a roommate, but I would want a roommate that was similar to me and had similar interests so that we could make easy conversation.
4)Living with a random roommate could definitely be worth it for an outgoing person that has no problem meeting new people and making new friends, and who knows about the endless connections you could have with or through your “random” roommate.
LikeLike
I think that living with a stranger for college is a great way to help allow yourself to become more open minded. By living with stranger you will become more aware of new ideas, techniques in everyday situations and even new cultures. Being matched up with a stranger gives you a push to be social and outgoing which is helpful to many, especially freshmen in college. socializing or living with a completely new person is such a great fresh start to your college life.
LikeLike
I think Anna Altman displayed a reasonable argument in this article. She describes both sides, whether is it good to have random roommates or if it’s a bad idea. Overall, I’m going to go with thinking that it is not a good idea to have random roommates. I get the big thing is it breaks you out of your comfort zone but I think that’s what the classroom is for and your teachers. I believe you should be comfortable with your roommate and not have to worry, college students already have enough to worry about. It could make for a horrible experience if you don’t like your them and the college could lose money in the end. I also get that they want to do “social mixing” but, again, I think that’s for classroom and parties. So in the end, I believe creating random roommates for people is just a bad idea in the end.
LikeLike
A topic like this one tends to be extremely controversial. While old methods to choosing may seem to be old fashioned, others say it can be life changing. When entering something as life changing as college many feel that you should meet new people, and experience new things. So college roommates should be random, and you should not know the person prior to the arrangement, because it will allow you to learn how to bond with new people and take you out of your comfort zone. Although others feel that being forced to room with someone that is not compatible with their living habits can be frustrating, and uncomfortable. Making the college experience as a Freshman miserable. I personally feel that roommates being picked at random is essential for a Freshman in college. It is nice for a Freshman to know that if all else fails in their classes, they can go home to a roommate that they know they can talk to.
LikeLike
Altman states a lot of good facts in this article. I do think that this article would have been better if she had her own experiences written in here. Rooming with someone you have never met before can be quite a transaction. You never know who you will be living with while you’re in college. There are some negatives and some positives. Positives are, you get to meet new people, which is a because that is what happens in college. You could even meet someone smarter than you, and they can help you with homework, go out and have lunch, etc. Or it could turn out bad. Your roommate could be a psycho path! They could be a bad influence on you, which would be the worst thing to happen ever. You could get a roommate who never studies, parties all the time, is barely ever sober. The point of this is taking a risk, meeting a new person and coming out of your comfort zone. Some people have the hardest time doing that, because once you move in with someone, you’re bound to be yourself or else stuff gets awkward. College is all about coming out of your comfort zone and being yourself, exploring your options. A stranger for a roommate can turn out one of two ways, good or bad. You just have to be prepared for what you’re getting yourself into.
LikeLike
The different views are presented by research that was done online reading different article. There is also reference to websites that match roommates together. She seems to present a reasonable view from both sides, however she seems to be more for it than against it. Her views are enhanced by some of the reasons stated in the article of why or why not roommates should be random. The effects on a person’s life can be either a positive one or a negative one. No matter which effect it has the college student always learns something.
Her argument certainly would have been strengthened by finding out how this issue is affecting the current students. She could find out what types of effect this is having on them whether they consider it a positive to meet someone new or if their experience has been a bad one.
The qualities would be intelligence, neatness, sense of humor, and likes sports. Ethnicity, social class, and shared interest are not important factors because something new can be learned from everyone we meet. Having someone who is interested in the same things would be great but, that is not always the case in life. Having that experience will most definitely better prepare you for the world around you.
LikeLike
In my opinion it is more beneficial for college student to room with a person of similar interests. I would much prefer to live with someone who i shared similar interests than a chance of rooming with someone who was the complete opposite. If you live with someone you have common interests with, it is more likely that a friendship can be formed. When living with a friend, the college experience as a whole is more enjoyable. If roomed with a stranger it is possible the roommates will fight and dislike one another causing the college experience to be negative. Some people argue that it is good to have a stranger for a roommate so that one can develop and create new social connections. This is true, but to a certain extent. This view should only be followed in classes. It is good to meet classmates as strangers because in the real world you will encounter different people. It is different to live than to work with someone. Would you rather take the chance to live with someone with similar interest or with a stranger that you know nothing about? It is more beneficial to live with a person of similar interest because it is more likely that the college experience will be improved as a whole.
LikeLike
Many colleges assign students to share rooms with strangers. On one hand, some say sharing a room with a stranger is a part of the college experience and allows the student to learn life skills. On the opposite hand, others argue rooming with strangers hinders a students ability to relax and study after school. I believe that students should share rooms with strangers and embrace the experience.
Sharing a room with a stranger can help a student create new friendships. This takes students out of their comfort zone and introduces student to different types of people. If students had the ability to choose their roommate, they would remain in their same friend groups in an effort to stay in their comfort zone. Colleges aim to teach young adults how to cope with new environments and therefore wish to put strangers in rooms together. By being put in a room together, students from different backgrounds can learn from each other and bridge social gaps. This causes the student to become more accepting towards different groups and learn to adapt to new environments and people.
Students will also learn to communicate and solve everyday problems when they are with strangers. Since the students have grown up in different environments, they have learned different ways to communicate their feeling and emotions. Because the roommates are strangers, they must discover new ways to interact with strangers and each other. Communication can be used to solve their everyday problems such as cleaning the dorm, respecting boundaries, and money management. Their communicate improve in the dorm, outside of the classroom, and outside the college environment. As the students work together and learn new skills, they can apply them to difficult situations in life after college.
Students learn how to communicate better when put in dorms with strangers. They learn problem solving skills that they apply to everyday life after college. Although many believe students should use their dorms as a form of relaxation after school, students need to learn how to communicate in more face to face situations. This is why colleges assign students to rooms with strangers.
LikeLike
I agree with Altman when discussing that a new roommate can be beneficial when going off to college. It teaches kids to be independent and to find their way out of their own troubles. They will grow as a person if put into such a situation because they will have to learn to manage and live with this stranger. As mentioned in the article, it helps kids learn to deal with different types of people. On the other hand, having a randomly selected roommate can be quite the danger. There is no guarantee provided that this person will be safe or non-violent. The people could note stuff down about themselves but their would be no one to verify the claims. For example, one student might claim that they are early to bed and quite, but in reality they could be heavy drinkers and party people. For the safety of the student they should include severe background checks to provide better security.
LikeLike
After reading this article, I feel that it is beneficial for college freshmen to have a stranger as a roommate. College is, for many students, the first time that one is away from his or her family, making it the ideal place to absorb new worldviews and to figure things out on one’s own. Being paired with someone very different from oneself teaches one to be open to new ideas and to compromise. If a student disagrees with the actions of his or her roommate, the student quickly learns to hold fast to morals and beliefs that are important to them and to not be influenced by their peers. Living close to someone of a social class or ethnicity different from what one is used to educates students about situations that may be very different from what they know. I believe that rooming with a complete stranger can teach new adults important life lessons and widens their acceptance of people that are different from them. However, if the roommate chosen for a student is dangerous or seriously disrupts the studies of another, room changes should be available.
LikeLike
College is meant to broaden a young person’s horizons. Around every corner, life on campus offers opportunities for personal growth. Among these new experiences, few have the potential that living with a random roommate offers. After all, life at home consists of sharing space with people you have known all of your life. Colleges invest considerable resources in the selection and pairing of roommates in hopes of creating a compatible match. A student is able to select certain behavioral traits that they prefer in a roommate. Living with a random roommate offers a student the chance to meet new people while learning more about themselves and others.
Sometimes the best experiences in life are the most unexpected ones. Randomly chosen roommates result in a overall better freshman experience than those who live alone. Students who share rooms with people that have different backgrounds, different worldviews, are of different races or practice different religions are exposed to new cultures and new ways of thinking. Roommates become more inclusive and open minded because they must accommodate disparate personalities. They learn how to cooperate and compromise with one another. They can share study tips, swap recipes or introduce each other to new authors and artists. Different people offer new experiences. If a student chooses to room with somebody they already know, they are not branching out of their comfort zones and are therefore not developing as a person. Best friends are not always meant to live together. Sometimes living with your friends actually hurts your friendship rather than strengthening it. It is true that college roommates heavily influence each other’s lives. I believe that random roommates offer students exceptional benefits that enhance a freshman’s college experience.
LikeLike
College is meant to broaden a young person’s horizons. Around every corner, life on campus offers opportunities for personal growth. Among these new experiences, few have the potential that living with a random roommate offers. After all, life at home consists of sharing space with people you have known all of your life. Colleges invest considerable resources in the selection and pairing of roommates in hopes of creating a compatible match. A student is able to select certain behavioral traits that they prefer in a roommate. Living with a random roommate offers a student the chance to meet new people while learning more about themselves and others.
Sometimes the best experiences in life are the most unexpected ones. Randomly chosen roommates result in a overall better freshman experience than those who live alone. Students who share rooms with people that have different backgrounds, different worldviews, are of different races or practice different religions are exposed to new cultures and new ways of thinking. Roommates become more inclusive and open minded because they must accommodate disparate personalities. They learn how to cooperate and compromise with one another. They can share study tips, swap recipes or introduce each other to new authors and artists. Different people offer new experiences. If a student chooses to room with somebody they already know, they are not branching out of their comfort zones and are therefore not developing as a person. Best friends are not always meant to live together. Sometimes living with your friends actually hurts your friendship rather than strengthening it. It is true that college roommates heavily influence each other’s lives. I believe that random roommates offer students exceptional benefits that enhance a freshman’s college experience.
LikeLike
College is meant to broaden a young person’s horizons. Around every corner, life on campus offers opportunities for personal growth. Among these new experiences, few have the potential that living with a random roommate offers. After all, life at home consists of sharing space with people you have known all of your life. Colleges invest considerable resources in the selection and pairing of roommates in hopes of creating a compatible match. A student is able to select certain behavioral traits that they prefer in a roommate. Living with a random roommate offers a student the chance to meet new people while learning more about themselves and others.
Sometimes the best experiences in life are the most unexpected ones. Randomly chosen roommates result in a overall better freshman experience than those who live alone. Students who share rooms with people that have different backgrounds, different worldviews, are of different races or practice different religions are exposed to new cultures and new ways of thinking. Roommates become more inclusive and open minded because they must accommodate disparate personalities. They learn how to cooperate and compromise with one another. They can share study tips, swap recipes or introduce each other to new authors and artists. Different people offer new experiences. If a student chooses to room with somebody they already know, they are not branching out of their comfort zones and are therefore not developing as a person. Best friends are not always meant to live together. Sometimes living with your friends actually hurts your friendship rather than strengthening it. It is true that college roommates heavily influence each other’s lives. I believe that random roommates offer students exceptional benefits that enhance a freshman’s college experience.
LikeLike
College is meant to broaden a young person’s horizons. Around every corner, life on campus offers opportunities for personal growth. Among these new experiences, few have the potential that living with a random roommate offers. After all, life at home consists of sharing space with people you have known all of your life. Colleges invest considerable resources in the selection and pairing of roommates in hopes of creating a compatible match. A student is able to select certain behavioral traits that they prefer in a roommate. Living with a random roommate offers a student the chance to meet new people while learning more about themselves and others.
Sometimes the best experiences in life are the most unexpected ones. Randomly chosen roommates result in a overall better freshman experience than those who live alone. Students who share rooms with people that have different backgrounds, different worldviews, are of different races or practice different religions are exposed to new cultures and new ways of thinking. Roommates become more inclusive and open minded because they must accommodate disparate personalities. They learn how to cooperate and compromise with one another. They can share study tips, swap recipes or introduce each other to new authors and artists. Different people offer new experiences. If a student chooses to room with somebody they already know, they are not branching out of their comfort zones and are therefore not developing as a person. Best friends are not always meant to live together. Sometimes living with your friends actually hurts your friendship rather than strengthening it. It is true that college roommates heavily influence each other’s lives. I believe that random roommates offer students exceptional benefits that enhance a freshman’s college experience.
LikeLike
I personally believe that college freshman could greatly benefit from having a randomly selected roommate. Whenever someone speaks of the “college experience” they are referring to total immersion in an unknown environment in which you learn to navigate the real world and, eventually, discover who you truly are. While rooming with a technologically determined freshman may technically be considered rooming with a stranger, you still have enough in common with them to feel like you belong with them. This may seem comforting, but when a teen or young adult constantly surrounds themselves with people like them, they fail to act as an independent. The behaviors of each member of the friend group rub off on one another until everyone, more or less, has quite similar personalities. Even though you may feel like you are acting in your own way, you are really only acting in a way you know you will be accepted as. Because of this, you never find your true self, only the self that you see reflected around you. Being assigned to a complete stranger can change this cycle. Being placed in a completely new environment full of brand new attitudes and personalities leaves a freshman alone, with no common personality to base their character on. When you have no personality to imitate and fall back on, you are forced to create your own identity, to discover who you truly are without influence from those who restrict your personality to a specific category.
Another long term benefit of random roommate assignment is that it has the potential to prepare young adults for survival in the vast, diverse jungle that is the world. Being placed with a “compatible” roommate chosen by an app leaves freshman to lay back and relax because there will be no need to make compromises, argue or negotiate with a roommate just like yourself. In college, this could appear like the best option, but once you graduate and move on the the real world and get a real job where you cannot choose your coworkers, then you will wish you had started befriending strangers earlier. Its imperative that young adults are exposed to interpersonal conflicts early on so they are well equip with social problem solving skills in the future. Living in a confined space with a person you have absolutely nothing in common with, or even detest, just may have its benefits.Learning to deal with difficult people and learning to make compromises that please both parties and avoid conflicts can benefit your success and satisfaction in the workplace and even in marriage!While your initial desire may be to be roomies with your best bud from high school and conquer the campus together, you should step back and take a good look at the long term benefits that apply to the bigger picture.
LikeLike
Personally, I believe that having randomly selected roommates for college freshman is beneficial. By having randomly selected roommates, the students can be transformed to better individuals. Rooming with random students is an opportunity to broaden one’s views about the world since it exposes the students to new things that they might not have seen or known about before. This experience can make the students more knowledgeable about the world which could then lead to making a person who knows how to accept differences that one might have with others. This opportunity prepares students to take on the world as it is. The world isn’t a simple place. Not everyone is the same. Each and everyone of us are entitled to our own opinions, so it is important for us to know how to accept different world views. This important characteristic could be acquired by having a beneficial opportunity such as rooming with randomly selected students.
LikeLike
At the start of the current school year, many college freshmen flocked to the dorm rooms to get settled in. However, within all of the excitement came the realization that they were getting roommates. While in recent years, colleges have attempted to give students more preference, many people argue that a random roommate is a vital part of the college experience. One woman, Anna Altman, claims that the random roommates provide ample opportunities to diversify your cultural knowledge and expand your horizons. I agree with Anna Altman’s opinion that being assigned a random roommate should be a part of the college experience.
The random assignment of college roommates can be a great thing. The fact that you are not familiar with your roommate previously allows you to expand your friend circle. This said roommate could share the same interests or they could be your exact opposite. The difference and similarities between the roommates allows for a strong bond to be formed. The hope with the random assignment system is that new people will meet, bond, and form a mutualistic relationship that not only benefits the students, but also the college. Some people argue that allowing students to choose their roommates allows students to know they will have a compatible roommate that will provide a constant environment. However, college is a Petri dish for new experiences and is filled with new people. The whole point of college is to expand your horizons, and random roommates only allow for that to happen.
Also, random roommate assignment enables students to add to their cultural knowledge and spread their own traditions while learning those of other people. When talking about the system of random assignment, the system is not entirely random. Colleges tend to specifically pair up incredibly diverse students, using factors such as: ethnicity, country of origin, language, and financial background. The physical and cultural differences provide an arsenal of childhood traditions. The participation in such traditions allows students to expand their horizons past their normal traditions and cause the slow evolution amongst college students. Such evolution is enabled by the ease of travel and communication. While some argue that choosing your own roommates allow you to preserve your own traditions and culture, having a roommate does not destroy your foundations. They merely allow students to add to them and further extend their metaphysical borders.
To summarize, while it seems more beneficial to room with someone who shares your background and interests, it is actually detrimental to students’ college experience. The differences between a student and their roommate allow students to expand their horizons and to breach the walls of their comfort zone. So yes, being assigned an unknown, random roommate should be a required part of a students’’ college experience.
LikeLike
Roommates are key factors of influence in the lives of many college students. I agree with Altman’s position that rooming with a stranger in college proves useful and enjoyable.
College is situated like the real world. It provides the opportunity to step out of the comfort zone, and at the start of freshman year, rooming with a stranger encourages you to do that. While people try to narrow their potential roommate options for minimal risk, strangers help us discover a part of ourselves that could have continued to lay hidden. Roommates “influence whether and which social organizations an individual joins”. This ends up guiding their decisions in networking throughout college as well as in their future career. It also involves interacting with various kinds of people. In modern society, all people will not interact with respect or only be of a certain race. Roommates will increase the “frequency of interaction between students of different backgrounds” and boost these students’ confidence in meeting and connecting with people outside their own race or socioeconomic class. College roommates widen people’s perceptions about the world and encourage them to grab the opportunities outside of their safe, risk-free zone.
Roommates also instill positive behaviors within one another as the year goes on. Every stranger carries stories with them and living with various people “impart ethical and political lessons” for them to learn. This alters their daily actions for the better. A specific example is one provided by Altman: “Overweight women are more likely to diet and exercise, and researchers speculate that living with an overweight woman can influence roommates to adapt these behaviors.” Students become conscious of those around them, and this leads to similarly mirroring habits of one another. As in this case, living with overweight or bulimic roommates, for example, raises awareness on such issues and encourages more activism from people personally exposed to these situations. Students also focus on quickly connecting with people once they start college. They “are much more likely to form friendships with a roommate or hall-mate” than with other students living across the campus in different dormitories. Living with a roommate enables this experience to occur more easily and frequently, which will provide a smoother transition for the individuals in their first year.
Overall, I believe that rooming with different people in college is beneficial. This real-world situation widens people’s perceptions about life as well as positively change their actions toward more responsible and rounded ones. It shapes people to make substantial impacts in the development of modern society.
LikeLike
I believe getting to know new people in college is a good thing and thus, it is a good idea to have a stranger as a roommate. We learn new things from different types of people which helps us become a more well-rounded citizen. Having a stranger as a roommate will allow you to become more social and make even more new friends, which is always a good thing in our modern day society. By developing a good relationship with a new person, you can help each other mutually at college. For example, if you cook dinner one night, your roommate could do the dishes. These types of small things make a big difference in the end and it all just started with a stranger you didn’t even know. Having a stranger roommate also teaches you how to live with other people. It can be very difficult to adjust in a dorm being shared by two or three people if you are coming from a home where you are an only child. If you do not know your roommate, it gives you a greater chance to become responsible and develop yourself. Overall, I think the benefits of having a stranger as a roommate are abundant.
LikeLike
I believe getting to know new people in college is a good thing and thus, it is a good idea to have a stranger as a roommate. We learn new things from different types of people which helps us become a more well-rounded citizen. Having a stranger as a roommate will allow you to become more social and make even more new friends, which is always a good thing in our modern day society. By developing a good relationship with a new person, you can help each other mutually at college. For example, if you cook dinner one night, your roommate could do the dishes. These types of small things make a big difference in the end and it all just started with a stranger you didn’t even know. Having a stranger roommate also teaches you how to live with other people. It can be very difficult to adjust in a dorm being shared by two or three people, coming from a home where you are an only child.. If you do not know your roommate, it gives you a greater chance to become responsible and develop yourself. Overall, I think the benefits of having a stranger as a roommate are abundant.
LikeLike
College is a great way to introduce new responsibilities and experiences. When staying in dorms as a freshman, roommates help people in many ways get confortable. A stranger can become a lifelong best friend, or a great way to grow away from a comfort zone. Although it may not appeal to newcomers at the time, many don’t regret having a random roommate in the end. The type of roommate shows how people you don’t know live in society. They introduce many different types of social, religious ways that could inspire a person. It also helps the spread of studying techniques, or cooking recipes. As the year goes by, roommates are shown to “[sound] a lot more like one another” (Altman). Colleges put in a lot of effort on pairing roommates together. Apparently they use roommate apps, such as Roomsoom, and Roomidex, to find people most similar to you. A way to think positive about roommates is assigned acquaintances for the beginning of a college experience. If a student really doesn’t want to be with a roommate, some colleges offer single rooms. Roommates are apart of the college experience as prom is apart of the high school experience. In the end, being randomly paired with a student shouldn’t affect whether to attend the college.
LikeLike
Having a roommate for the first year of college forces two alike or unalike individuals to have relations with each other. It can be filled with as many cons, as there are pros when dealing with a situation like that. Being a FRESHMAN, although many people many opposde this idea, it hasn’t dawned upon the them that there are going to be people they may not like, or just simply aren’t compatible with in which they have to build a strong enough relationship to deal with that person every single day. Some people expect them to be “mature” enough to deal with the situations they may face during this time. I’m a Junior, and in all reality, I’m closer to my first year of college than I really suspect. Carrying on, I’ve never been forced to socialize with people outside of my boundaries. and by boundaries I mean, ones who share atleast a couple of the characteristics I tend to carry, or ones who can relate to me in many ways, ones who make me comfortable enough to have conversations with. However,I’ve never felt threatened by any of the ones that do step out of those “boundaries”. BUT, I didn’t have to live or tolerate any of the individuals while doing academic work, while in the “comfort” of my dorm.
Living with people that share fewer beliefs than you can be hard, especially when there’s a major decision that has to be made… together. But it also teaches and open plenty of opportunities for more friendships. It teaches an individual to learn about beliefs of other ethic group and to have an open mind and heart- Referring to what Mr. Singal states in the passage, “and the research has shown, convincingly, that having the right sort of roommate can expand horizons and open eyes in extremely important ways.”
LikeLike
Having a roommate the first year of college comes with as many cons, as it does pros. From experience, I know it isn’t easy to interact with people from different backgrounds, however, doing so can cause a positive change in your life in several ways. Even though it’s forcing you to associate with different groups of people, it allows the opportunity to make that a habit, if it’s not one already. Being able to associate and interact yourself with people from different backgrounds makes it a lot easier to make ‘friends’… or roommates. However, adjusting yourself to this can be hard, especially with it being your FIRST year of college, it’s like experiencing the first day of third grade all over again.
Sometimes this experience can be extremely hard and complicated, including the fact that you don’t know the individual or how they are use to doing things. However, it can be learned, both ways though. It gives each other the chance to learn about different backgrounds and maybe make it easier to understand other people from that same background. For example, I met my best friend in the fourth grade. I hated her! She was a total nerd, had a bad attiude, antisocial, a little too quiet, she lived on the “white side of town” and dressed like a… okay you get the point. On the other hand, I was far from antisocial,I was actually a little loud and obnoxious, I had many friends, but stayed in the “projects” and was more on the popular side.
As time went by, we reunited in seventh grade and literally spent everyday together, in and out of school. Eventually, she gained some of my habits as I did hers. So this shows how people fro differnt backgrounds can eventually come to an agree and cope with the fact that they have to deal with it. Some may like it, some may not.
LikeLike
Having a roommate the first year of college comes with as many cons, as it does pros. From experience, I know it isn’t easy to interact with people from different backgrounds, however, doing so can cause a positive change in your life in several ways. Even though it’s forcing you to associate with different groups of people, it allows the opportunity to make that a habit, if it’s not one already. Being able to associate and interact yourself with people from different backgrounds makes it a lot easier to make ‘friends’… or roommates. However, adjusting yourself to this can be hard, especially with it being your FIRST year of college, it’s like experiencing the first day of third grade all over again.
Sometimes this experience can be extremely hard and complicated, including the fact that you don’t know the individual or how they are use to doing things. However, it can be learned, both ways though. It gives each other the chance to learn about different backgrounds and maybe make it easier to understand other people from that same background. For example, I met my best friend in the fourth grade. I hated her! She was a total nerd, had a bad attiude, antisocial, a little too quiet, she lived on the “white side of town” and dressed like a… okay you get the point. On the other hand, I was far from antisocial,I was actually a little loud and obnoxious, I had many friends, but stayed in the “projects” and was more on the popular side.
As time went by, we reunited in seventh grade and literally spent everyday together, in and out of school. Eventually, she gained some of my habits as I did hers. So this shows how people fro differnt backgrounds can eventually come to an agree and cope with the fact that they have to deal with it. Some may like it, some may not.
LikeLike
Having a roommate the first year of college comes with as many cons, as it does pros. From experience, I know it isn’t easy to interact with people from different backgrounds, however, doing so can cause a positive change in your life in several ways. Even though it’s forcing you to associate with different groups of people, it allows the opportunity to make that a habit, if it’s not one already. Being able to associate and interact yourself with people from different backgrounds makes it a lot easier to make ‘friends’… or roommates. However, adjusting yourself to this can be hard, especially with it being your FIRST year of college, it’s like experiencing the first day of third grade all over again.
Sometimes this experience can be extremely hard and complicated, including the fact that you don’t know the individual or how they are use to doing things. However, it can be learned, both ways though. It gives each other the chance to learn about different backgrounds and maybe make it easier to understand other people from that same background. For example, I met my best friend in the fourth grade. I hated her! She was a total nerd, had a bad attiude, antisocial, a little too quiet, she lived on the “white side of town” and dressed like a… okay you get the point. On the other hand, I was far from antisocial,I was actually a little loud and obnoxious, I had many friends, but stayed in the “projects” and was more on the popular side.
As time went by, we reunited in seventh grade and literally spent everyday together, in and out of school. Eventually, she gained some of my habits as I did hers. So this shows how people fro differnt backgrounds can eventually come to an agree and cope with the fact that they have to deal with it. Some may like it, some may not.
LikeLike
I qualify with Anna Altman’s position on the importance of rooming with a stranger. The college experience, as the article mentioned, is the time to embrace new experiences and try new things. Rooming with a stranger could be beneficial for a person who is open to learning new cultures and embarking on new adventures. As Altman argues, even though the roommate may be someone you’ve never met before, you could still gain a new insight about life from themAs Altman argues, even though the roommate may be someone you’ve never met before, you could still gain a new insight about life from them. I, personally, have this somewhat irrational fear of being assigned a roommate who is a psychotic, cleptomatic serial killer. Mind you, my fear isn’t that far-fetch. While my roommate may not be a murderer, there’s still the chance that we could e complete opposites and our personalities just aren’t compatible. If there was a way to find the perfect route who matched all of your interests, cleaned up after theirselves, and won’t try to stab me in my sleep then I would full heartedly agree with Altman’s posterior
LikeLike
I qualify with Anna Altman’s position on the importance of rooming with a stranger. The college experience, as the article mentioned, is the time to embrace new experiences and try new things. Rooming with a stranger could be beneficial for a person who is open to learning new cultures and embarking on new adventures. As Altman argues, even though the roommate may be someone you’ve never met before, you could still gain a new insight about life from them. I, personally, have this somewhat irrational fear of being assigned a roommate who is a psychotic, cleptomatic serial killer. Mind you, my fear isn’t that far-fetch. While my roommate may not be a murderer, there’s still the chance that we could be complete opposites and our personalities won’t be compatible. If there was a way to find the perfect roommate who matched all of your interests, cleaned up after theirselves, and won’t try to stab you while you sleep then I would full heartedly agree with Altman’s position. (Had 2 get it in by 12, sorry)
LikeLike
I think it is a great idea to have college roommates. The best part of it is not knowing who you’re room mate could be. It gives you a chance to branch out and meet new people that you would
Never normally hang with. These unknown roommates could also give you many new opportunities in meeting people you wouldn’t normally associate yourself with on you’re own. This gives you j
Sights in how many other people love their lives or the way they interact or handle situations . Having these random college roommates will also teach you how to problem solve with people you have never interacted with people and get a better understanding on how to interact with other people. This is why random roommates is a good thing because it can bring you opportunities or expiernces that you would get with out one.
LikeLike
Rooming with a stranger is a good and a bad thing. Having a random roommate can help you learn to meet new people and does help you get out of your comfort zone. You can also become very close with that person and become lifelong friends. It starts to help you make a friend when you don’t know anyone at that college. It can be a bad thing because you guys could be too different people. You may meet the person and be like I do not like him or her because of so and so. You guys could butt heads about certain things, like sharing and having people or in the dorm. Its hard to get a room switch too if you decide you dont like each other.
LikeLike
If I was searching for a roommate on craigslist similarity would be a major importance when making my choice. I would search for someone who has a similar race and economic background, as well as similar interests and living habits. However, i agree with the need for randomly assigned roommates. I wouldn’t learn anything from the roommate I select. Sure we would get along easily and potentially become friends, but the fact that he’d be my roommate would be a detriment to my social skills on campus. I wouldn’t feel as much a need to go out and make friends because i already have my roommate. Plus, when searching for friends I will gravitate to people like me, so there would be little diversity in my social group. With a randomly assigned roommate I have the opportunity to make unlikely friends and learn a little, and the roommate I would have picked would most likely become my friend, outside of the room assignments, if we truly were that alike.
LikeLike
If I made a Craigslist post looking for a new roommate in college I would look for someone who is nice, courteous, respectful of others belongings and just an overall good kid. Similarity is not a big issue for me as long as we get along. Ethnicity, Social class, and shared interests don’t matter to me, I care more about the content of a persons character than any of that. I think Altman would agree with my post to a certain extent. I don’t think Altman would agree that I’m searching on craigslist for a roommate, but I think Altman would agree with the fact that I’m not looking for someone exactly like myself or someone that is of the same class, social content, or ethnicity.
LikeLike
To start off, craigslist is not the safest site to be using when looking for a roommate. However, if you take out the small factor about possibly being murdered, I would be looking for someone with similar qualities to my own but not identical. If you find some one too much like yourself, you really are as Stephanie Wu claims “trying to mitigate the risk”. When you look for someone just like you, you are missing out on learning new things and you are ultimately limiting your experience. It would be equivalent to taking all the lines out of Disney World. It would make the experience faster but less meaningful. It really does mean so much more when you wait in line to see Elsa or Peter Pan for two hours rather than being in and out within 5 minutes. Waiting in long lines also makes us really appreciate those times when the wait times are short. My point is that when choosing a roommate, one should also consider the experience. If you are just looking for someone just like yourself, you really aren’t experiencing anything new and the whole point of college is to experience a butt-ton of new things!
LikeLike
I think having a stranger as your roommate in college isn’t very fair. I feel that one should get to choose who they room with, especially on their first year of college. I believe that doing so would help the student be more confident and comfortable in their new surroundings.
LikeLike
In the article by Anna Altman, she expresses her opinion on how rooming with a stranger should be a part of the “college education”, but she also clearly states other people’s point of view on rooming with strangers. She definitely should have got opinions from freshman students who had to share a room with a stranger and with someone they already knew. I personally would not be looking for a roommate on craigslist, but if so I would look for someone who is motivated and determined to get through college, someone who is going into the same program as me. I don’t think ethnic or race would be a factor in deciding who to share a room with.
I think sharing a room with a stranger could be a great thing for a freshman. I think it will help both people move out of their “comfort zones” and getting to meet new people is always an exciting thing! Rooming with someone with different interests, can help you learn new things as well. As stated in the article, someone who is overweight might be working out now that her roommate is super fit and into working out and being healthy. I think having a roommate that is a stranger could be a great thing!
LikeLike
I believe that having a random roommate in college has more benefits than not. Being placed to live in a room with someone who you know nothing about causes one to reach out and become more social. It also allows to people to share their lives with each other and hopefully be able to confide in each other eventually. It gives someone a chance to extend out of their comfort zone in a way they normally wouldn’t. The whole purpose of the “college experience” is to make new friends and try different things.
LikeLike
As an incoming freshman this past year, choosing to do random roommate assignments was a strong option for me. I was coming from a faraway state, and didn’t know anyone going to my college. The qualities I was looking for were qualities that I too share. I was looking for another female, someone who put academics first, was social, organized and clean, and overall friendly and respectful. I knew that sometimes roommates just don’t get along, so I figured as long as we both respected each other, we didn’t have to be friends, but at least we’d get along. It was somewhat important to me that my future roommate have similar interest with me because then we would have something to bond over at first. But differences were also necessary so we could learn more about each other and have opportunities to try new things together. Ethnicity and class differences really had no effect on me. As long as the person I was living with for the next 9 months was easy to get along with, differences in class and ethnicity could teach me new values and norms and expand my opinion past what I already know. I knew that college is a place where your life starts to begin, so to begin college on a good note with my roommate was a necessity for me.
Altman would probably approve of my “ad on craigslist” because of the open mind I have. Similarities are needed for roommates to get along, but like Altman has suggested, someone with different interests, beliefs, ethnicity or race will expose the world around them to a whole different view many students have never considered. It is important for new opinions to be expressed in college. These new opinions could start with a random rooming assignment.
LikeLike
If I were looking for a roommate on Craigslist, I would look for someone who seems somewhat like me, but not completely like me. I would look for someone who is not a slob since I am a generally neat person and sharing a room with someone who is messy could become stressful. I would place a good amount of importance on our similarities, but that would not be all I focused on. I think it is important that I have some things in common with this person because I am going to being living with them and it would help us get along. I do agree with the article that it is important to have differences with this person because it will make me grow as a person and try new things. Ethnicity would not matter to me. I think it would be interesting to see how someone from a different ethnicity than mine lives and this experience could help me in my everyday life to understand all different types of people. Social class would not matter either. Money does not define a person. Shared interests would be important to me because I want to be friends with this roommate and be able to spend time with them doing things that we are both interested in. I think Altman would respond positively to my Craigslist post because I would put an emphasis on the fact that my roommate does not have to be exactly like me. Also, Altman would agree with my post because I said that ethnicity and social class would not matter because I agree that living with someone different then me will be a good experience and help me grow as a person.
LikeLike
Ann Altman consults with many experts to discuss the negative and positive affects of having a roommate in college, and if roommates should be random assignments or requested. She writes, “Who you live with can change your studying habits, influence how much alcohol you drink and encourage (or prevent) weight gain and mood disorders.” This suggests that who your roommate is can either positively or negatively impact your college experience. I agree that the characteristics and habits formed while at college can reflect those of someone you live with. Furthermore, I believe that the two roommates combine their characteristics and merge into similar people.
With that being said, I believe that having the opportunity to hand pick a roommate influences the success of the student. If a roommate can influence the academic success, then a college student will want a roommate that can positively influence, not negatively influence. Therefore, finding a roommate that has the same ambitions, and mentality will allow the student to have a better college experience.
LikeLike
I agree with Devin on this issue, it is important to room with someone you didn’t know. I disagree in that this person should be completely different because as a person who lives in a dorm I have already seen roommates who are completely different and how it has hurt both of them in different ways and just leads to conflict. I think you should live with someone you don’t know but you should both be somewhat similar, not in every aspect, but similar that way you limit conflict and still allow different viewpoints on somethings, however, you limit conflict in the place that should be the least of your worries when it comes to stress. I think it is important to live with someone you don’t know that way you are forced to get to know them and their friends and it leads to more connections gained from college.
LikeLike
Anna Altman explains her opinion on freshman year roommates, and whether it is best to have these roommates chosen by the students or randomly assigned. Several commenters on this post argue that having a random roommate is important in the way that it forces students to become accustomed to living and interacting with people that they normally would not. I agree with this, to an extent. However, I think that there are certain situations in which living with someone totally different than you can be harmful to your college experience.
My aunt had a random roommate her freshman year of college and transferred because of her horrible experience. Her roommate stayed up late, making an ungodly amount of noise, brought guests over without asking, and even went as far as to smoke cigarettes in the dorm room. Though this is an extreme case, I believe there needs to be some safe guards at universities that chose to assign their students random roommates. For example, in a system similar to websites like RoomSync, simply ask the students when they typically go to bed, their visitation preferences, and other important details. The university can assign them, but make sure that the two are compatible enough to both be successful on campus.
Altman raises the idea of having single bed dorm rooms, in which the roommate issue would be totally erased, and just as many other commenters, disagree with the effectiveness of that. I do think there is value in learning to live with someone else, even if you are similar to them. In my personal experience, I absolutely love my roommate as a person, but simply find it hard to live with someone else. We have different schedules, different preferences on temperature, but I am glad that I am learning to find middle ground with her.
LikeLike
In the article, “A College Education Should Include Rooming with a Stranger”, the author Anna Altman discusses the phasing out of randomly assigned roommates to freshmen in college. The author explains that incompatible roommates can cost the college money and cause the students to become unhappy and possibly leave. Altman explains some of the current trends colleges are taking. This includes the RoomSync app to match up similar roommates, offering single rooms to freshmen, and adding more consumption amenities to attract students.
The debate in this issue is whether or not having a randomly assigned roommate is crucial to the college experience. The author provides sources that describe how a roommate can affect the student’s studying habits, work ethic, weight, alcohol consumption, anxiety, speech, depression, mood disorders, and even the likelihood of smoking, using drugs, and gambling. The impression that roommates leave on each other behaviors can be for the better or for the worse.
Having a roommate from a different background can also change an individual’s social horizon. Roommates with different socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, interests, and social networks can influence each other’s perceptions and beliefs. This works to broaden a student’s social knowledge.
Overall, the author’s stance is that rooming with a stranger is an important element of college life. Having a roommate with different behaviors and beliefs work to push students out of their comfort zones which is the point of higher education. Socializing with people from different background also helps students learn to work with others by negotiating and compromising. This skill is important in adult life.
While the author adds in the opposing perspective on this issue, Altman mainly uses the classical argument to “win” the argument. I do believe that Altman was successful in her argument. Plenty of resources were used to explain why random roommates are important to the college experience and how specifically they can help. The author also uses sources to acknowledge the possible negative outcomes. While Altman does not delve into the opposing perspective, its inclusion does imply that she believes that have merit. However, the author shows in her article that the benefits of random roommates far outweighs the possible negatives outcomes. The sources help make the author’s argument more persuasive because it adds to her ethos.
As a community college student, I do not share common ground with the author. While I agree with the idea that random roommates can provide a student with unique experiences, I am not sure how I would feel about it in practice. My friends have told me stories about their inconsiderate and annoying roommates. I have a hard enough time studying on my own not to mention having a possibly loud roommate hanging around all the time. It also would be hard for me because I am a very shy and socially anxious individual who rarely is able to converse with strangers. It would definitely be worth it if the roommate had admirable behaviors and came from a unique and diverse background. Having a roommate would be a gamble for me, but as stated in the article, it could be an important experience that could push me out of my comfort zone.
LikeLike
Although I agree with Jin H’s post on many points, I would like to argue that having a random roommate is not for everyone. While I had a wonderful experience with my freshman roommate, I know that a lot of people have anxiety about just meeting knew people, so living with someone they don’t know may be troubling for them. I realize though that those with anxiety have an option to request a roommate they know. If someone is considering a random roommate as an option I would recommend it, it’s an experience.
LikeLike
I agree that rooming with a stranger is a wonderful experience because my experience with it at my university as a freshman confirms it. A stranger as a roommate is exciting, as a freshman you are experiencing different things, and a lot of those things you’ll get to experience with your roommate. It’s fun to learn how to live with other people, especially people you don’t know at all. I will say that rooming with a stranger is not for everybody. I understand that many people have anxiety about it, but that is why there is an option most of the time now to request your roommate. But for those considering a stranger as a roommate should definitely go for it! You will learn a lot about yourself and hopefully make a good friend.
LikeLike