As high school comes to an end, seniors prepare for the next chapter of their lives- college. One of the most exciting and nerve-wracking decisions they face is choosing a roommate.
A new technological process that has evolved beyond the standard traditional university housing forms. Many students are turning to social media platforms, mainly Instagram, to find the perfect roommate, building a new circle of friends before they step foot on campus.
Once students decide where they want to attend college, many of them jump straight into creating a personalized “college bio”. Most colleges provide multiple reminders and links to their official Instagram page that can direct you to your class’s page. Requiring students to type out and submit a short bio with key info like their major, hobbies, and lifestyle habits such as sleep schedules, and cleanliness preferences to give other incoming freshmen a good idea of the kind of person you are. Along with the bio, students upload a few casual photos of themselves.. From there, students scroll through posts, follow others, and start DMing people who they think could be a potential candidate and good match.
Many seniors from Waterford High School participated in this roommate search, creating their own posts for the college’s page and viewing others.
Senior Sophia Scarpa will be attending the College of Charleston; she found her roommates through 2029 COFC Instagram page. At first Scarpa was unsure about the number of people she wanted to live with in her dorm. After finding a few girls she was interested in, they determined their living situation together and became close friends over the time it took for them all to commit: “It’s a casual but effective way to find someone compatible to live with and can lead to early friendships because you are given the opportunity to talk with the person many months before college even starts.”
Senior Anna Waddington was accepted to University of Tampa starting the spring semester and was quick to submit her personalized post to the Utampa2029 Instagram where she found many potential girls she would like to room with and answered questions being asked by other students from the page. “It was a good way to easily find other girls who shared the same hobbies and interests as me. And in my case it was especially helpful because I could distinguish the students starting in the fall vs the spring because it was specified in their bios.”
By connecting through Instagram, students can quickly and efficiently find and connect with others who they may want to share similar living habits or someone with different interests to try something new. Helping coordinate housing arrangements in advance. For many Waterford High School seniors this new approach has made the college rooming process more convenient and personalized for incoming students.