My daughter is starting in the fall as well and this is what she did. She found a great roomate on it and they already have found two more for the adjacent room they share a bathroom with. She better get on it though..
Finding a roommate
- Thread starter isufrEEk
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Just make sure you watch "Stolen Youth" on Hulu. That will make you feel better about everything.
Be careful on roommates especially for guys, you may get one who partied in HS and carried it over for the first couple of years of college. Makes it hard to study and stay in school.
My apologies to my college roommates as that is what they probably said about me as everyone but the last one flunked out. Now, thinking about it, I graduated and they didn’t, so that means maybe tell your kid to drink heavy.
My apologies to my college roommates as that is what they probably said about me as everyone but the last one flunked out. Now, thinking about it, I graduated and they didn’t, so that means maybe tell your kid to drink heavy.
Maybe from a hooker because he wasn't getting any from a normal girl.
There is no magic formula re: roommates. Wife got assigned to someone she didn't know from another country and they got along great and stayed in touch until after graduation. She was wonderful.
Another friend got assigned with someone who apparently had a strong body odor and she had to run away to her cousin who stayed off campus. She just couldn't stand the smell.
Daughter of a former colleague (not at ISU) had that FB stuffs where you can contact your roommates before (they were informed that they were assigned as roommates and were welcomed to contact each other). From the beginning, it looked like they would get along great. Not so after a month and at the end of the semester the gal moved out. 2nd semester, she moved to a suite (4 girls in 2 rooms). One ended up bringing her BF who smoked weed and ended up accusing everyone of racism when was told to stop or being reported to the RA.
Another friend got assigned with someone who apparently had a strong body odor and she had to run away to her cousin who stayed off campus. She just couldn't stand the smell.
Daughter of a former colleague (not at ISU) had that FB stuffs where you can contact your roommates before (they were informed that they were assigned as roommates and were welcomed to contact each other). From the beginning, it looked like they would get along great. Not so after a month and at the end of the semester the gal moved out. 2nd semester, she moved to a suite (4 girls in 2 rooms). One ended up bringing her BF who smoked weed and ended up accusing everyone of racism when was told to stop or being reported to the RA.
It's hit or miss. My freshman roommate's good friend from HS ended up turning into a druggie/nut case and ended up dropping out by his sophmore year. Meanwhile we were two people in the random category and roomed together for 4.5 years.
The other big thing with rooming (in my opinion) is to get involved with something on campus. I had both the ISUCFVMB and the bridge team that gave me exposure and options to hang out with other people. So I wasn't hanging out with my roommate all the damn time.
The other big thing with rooming (in my opinion) is to get involved with something on campus. I had both the ISUCFVMB and the bridge team that gave me exposure and options to hang out with other people. So I wasn't hanging out with my roommate all the damn time.
Went random twice and pretty much went 0/2. The first go around was a 4-person room, so me and 3 other guys. I got along with one of them, indifferent towards another, and couldn't stand the 3rd one. I switched schools at semester and could've joined my cousins at ISU who were both my age and getting an apartment together, but for reasons I can't remember, chose to move back home and commute to NIACC. Go Trojans! Part 2 of random experience was at UNI where I joined up in the dorms with a dude who seemed nice enough, but I inevitably withdrew and moved back home after a couple weeks. I'm not sure it had anything to do with him. I was a little love stricken at the time and my head wasn't right. The randomness of my situation didn't make sense and was making me really uneasy about life. I had left a girl that I thought I loved at home, where I also still had friends and a decent full time job.
Took a year off from school and broke up with the girl. Went back to UNI but this time made sure I knew who my roommates were. I was done messing around after two not so great experiences and really just wanted to increase my odds for academic success, which to me meant not having anxiety about not knowing the people I lived with. Met friends through work, classes, student orgs etc. as others have noted. I'd probably do it the same way again if I had to. To me, it is 100% dependent on the personality of the individual whether the random method will work or not. Sometimes you just can't force a square peg into a round hole.
Took a year off from school and broke up with the girl. Went back to UNI but this time made sure I knew who my roommates were. I was done messing around after two not so great experiences and really just wanted to increase my odds for academic success, which to me meant not having anxiety about not knowing the people I lived with. Met friends through work, classes, student orgs etc. as others have noted. I'd probably do it the same way again if I had to. To me, it is 100% dependent on the personality of the individual whether the random method will work or not. Sometimes you just can't force a square peg into a round hole.
When I lived in the dorms, there was a really cool dude I made friends with that grew up in Ames and only lived about 2 miles from campus. He stayed in the dorms and rarely went home to see his parents. He ended up having a great experience, met his future wife and carved out his own identity. He basically treated the situation as if he lived 2 states away, even though he was a local resident. It worked out well.
Best of luck to your daughter.
NOT me. I just read it and found it entertaining. I did have two daughters that went to ISU but we live 2:40 from Ames.
Update … still single and now 6’7 and a Sophmore. Prefer he find a nice lady with no siblings and parents that own 1,000+ acres.
I stayed in Ames one summer working and went to State gym (team still practiced there then) to play pick-up basketball with the men’s team. You were allowed to stop to puke over the steps out front but you had to come back and play right away. Got in the best shape of my life!
We have 2 at ISU and live three miles from campus. Our oldest did not spend the night back at home until Thanksgiving break every year. I anticipate our freshman being the same way. While in the dorms they do come home to do laundry but that is just a few hour visit at home. Oldest has been in Freddy Court the last two years so she does her laundry there. I happened to run into her at the grocery store last week.
Both went the random roommate route. They were warned that things could be very bad but still took their chances. Both hit the lottery, especially their freshman roommate. Very compatible and respectful girls. Our senior is still roommates with her freshman roommate (they didn’t live together sophomore year but lived the other three years together) and so far the new freshman is doing well with hers. We have met both families and get along well with the families too.
