A moment just as important as opening the college admissions envelope with trembling fingers is opening a housing assignment containing a future roommate's name. Whether the roommate is a binge drinker, an anal-retentive pencil sharpener or a perpetual couch potato will remain unknown until at least move-in day.
At UW-Madison public residence halls—unlike at other universitiesA-—A-there is no system to match students with roommates through personality questionnaires. Roommates are randomly placed together without any regard for personal scheduling, smoking or social tendencies.
There are no future plans to implement any sort of matching system through University Housing, according to the program's Director Larry Davis.
""Research out there says that it does not necessarily work,"" Davis said. ""We had a brief conversation in the past but now two students must request to live together.""
If there is a conflict between roommates, house fellows get involved through mediation. If the situation gets too extreme, students can put their names on a list to switch rooms and will be alerted when there is availability.
At private residence halls, UW-Madison students have the option of using questionnaires to help match them up with a roommate. Students have had mixed reactions to the quality of match-ups of the private University House dorms.
""My roommate and I got along so well—she matched up with me on all of the important stuff,"" said UW-Madison sophomore Melanie Smith, who lived in Statesider, 505 N. Frances St., last year. ""It could not have been better.""
Melissa Silvers, also a UW-Madison sophomore who lived in the private dorms, had quite a different experience with her roommate.
""She must have lied on her questionnaire because there were a few key traits that I said I could not live withA-A-A-A-—like smoking— and she smoked almost everyday,"" Silvers said. ""We just had different sleep schedules and different ways of living.""
Incoming freshmen at the University of Minnesota enter their information into a database and include traits not only about themselves, but what traits they desire in a roommate and the degree of importance these traits are to them.
""The student has some flexibility, then the system will go through and match them up,"" said Mannix Clark, the associate director of housing at University of Minnesota. ""We have not yet done the research to say if they have had better luck using the site to find a roommate or not, but it has been very positive.""
According to Clark, the system has been implemented for the last two years.
""During orientation when we have talked to some of the parents they have said they appreciate the site because it was something they were concerned about. It takes the pressure off,"" Clark said.
