Once a perspective University student has sent back the acceptance letter, the next step is to send in housing information. Not only do students have to pick where they want to live, but they must also pick with whom they want to live.

Before college, nobody would give permission to a stranger to pick with whom they will spend nine months with in a tiny room, but college changes all the norms. Unfortunately, it does not change how people will get along, or how students will adjust to their new homes.

However, University students face these new challenges and find ways to overcome their new roommates and living areas. For advice, there are no better sources to go to than University students who have lived through it.

While many freshmen fear random roommates, it is not always a terrible ending. For Angela Foster, senior in LAS, who lived in Lincoln Avenue Residence Halls, getting a random roommate was one of her best experiences at the University. “I did random my freshman year,” Foster said. “Me and my roommate got along so well we lived together again sophomore year. Our personalities are so alike, we both laugh loudly.”

However, not every random roommate story comes with a happy ending. For Daniel Nunez, senior in ALS, who lived in Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Halls, getting a random roommate was definitely not the best experience.

“We really didn’t talk to each other,” Nunez said. “He didn’t bring his own computer, TV or fan so he would use mine and that started conflicts.”

Luckily, Nunez was only forced to put up with his intrusive roommate for less than three months. In October of his freshman year, Nunez’s roommate received a letter telling him he had to leave the residence hall. The only problem was that Nunez never received another roommate, but for him, three months was more than enough.

“I got to experience having a roommate and living alone and I realized I need my own room,” Nunez said.

For Nunez, the experience with a random roommate made him realize a very important detail about himself.

After that he had no room to regret not living with his two friends from high school, because living with someone was not enjoyable to him.

Some students live with friends from high school in an effort to avoid random placement. Senior in ACES Heidi Pickett, who lived in Florida Avenue Residence Halls, did just that, but her experience was also not a fairy tale.

“After a while, I started to get annoyed by her different living habits,” Pickett said. “The friendship took a toll and things were not exactly the same as they were in high school.”

Despite the good and bad experiences each senior had, Foster, Nunez and Pickett alike emphasized the importance of putting one’s self out there in an effort to make friends.

“I regret not interacting with the people on my floor,” Nunez said. “After the first few weeks I felt like everything turned into cliques and when I was interested I felt like it was too late.”

So any advice new students can adhere to is that of the seniors who experienced it, regretted it and even smiled back upon it.