Living with another person is a large part of the college experience and while some choose to enter Penn State with a friend or social media stranger, others await what the “Random Roommate” option will have in store for them. Roommate conflicts are common issues on university campuses and have been proven to cause great strain on academics and student comfort at school. Having a difficult roommate situation has become one of the top five reasons why students tend drop out of school (Marklein). Penn State allows a computer system to randomly select students to pair up as roommates for all of their housing options and although many other universities participate in this type of process, conflicts still tend to arise between many of those selections. Every student is different and possess various habits, sleep schedules, and interests. In order to combat the rising issue of roommate conflicts, Penn State needs to implement a more personal approach to pairing up students. Grinnell College in Iowa personally matches their students based on their interests and habits, creating a more positive environment for roommates as they are connected with someone who they can relate to (Marklein). Like Grinnell, many other university's have their own questionnaires in order to pair up their students:
|
For those who choose the “Random Roommate" option, an online application should be created and given to students after they accept admittance to Penn State that requires them to answer questions regarding their study habits, whether or not they are a morning person or a night owl, and what some of their interests consist of. Once applications are in, Penn State housing staff will personally matchmake students to best accommodate their responses. It is important to not coddle students as college is supposed to be a time of independence and growth, and with that comes dealing with people that are much different from you. For this reason, the matchmaking process should focus more on habits and schedules that could have an affect on academics and how comfortable one may be in their room.
For example, it would be best to match two students that both tend to stay up late, avoiding any issues regarding one making too much noise or keeping lights on while the other attempts to sleep. However, neither of the students need to necessarily acquire the same taste in music or hobbies, allowing them the opportunity to possibly influence each other into avenues that may have never crossed their minds. This solution will be able to combat potential roommate conflicts from the beginning and allow some common ground between students upon entering their living situation.
|