Blind Roommate Facts

Part of the college experience is meeting your new roommate who may or may not be your new best friend for the next four years. 

At Michigan State University, 60 percent of freshmen go in blind, according to Mary Lou Heberlein, Michigan State University’s Residential Housing Services coordinator.  Every college has a different process in choosing who is going to live with whom.  At MSU, the first key role that comes into play is the students’ major, if they have the same or similar majors in the same college, which also decides on what dorm would be closer to their college.  

At University of South Carolina, their process includes a survey-based questionnaire at the time of applying to the college. According to Nick Alfieri, U of SC’s director of communications, they compare answers of students with similar personality traits such as sleeping, partying, and study habits. 

Similar to U of SC, University of Michigan has a process including a “getting to know you” period, where the roommates are required to ask each other questions based on personality traits. 

To avoid having a bad “blind roommate” experience, many students refer to Facebook and other social media platforms to find a roommate with similar interests.

U of SC is partnered with a social media-based roommate matching service called RoomSync, where students can join and answer questions in a survey-like fashion that partners them up with someone with similar traits and interests.  Alfieri said they have had a lot of success with that partnership.