Roommates and Best Practices
Having a roommate(s) can play a big part in your college life and beyond. Roommates often become life-long friends. With the right roommate, you can create a supportive and fun living environment that will enhance your academic journey.
Roommate Questionnaire
The first step to finding a roommate is to complete the OSU Housing Portal's Roommate Questionnaire and make it searchable by other residents. The questionnaire is a quick overview of you—your study habits, sleep schedule, cleanliness preferences and so forth.
Be sure to provide a thoughtful description of yourself in the space provided.
You can customize your search to find others who share the traits you are most interested in.
Roommate Pairs
When completing your housing registration, you'll come to the Roommate Option tab. This is where you can search for and select a potential roommate. A roommate pair includes you and one roommate who you plan to live with on campus.
To find a roommate, you can search by a resident's name or use the answers they provided in the roommate questionnaire.
Whether you prefer a familiar roommate or someone with shared interests, the next step is getting to know each other. Here are some steps:
- Schedule a meaningful conversation.
- Discuss lifestyles, study habits, hobbies and daily routines.
- Assess if their preferences match yours.
- Imagine living together in the space provided. Can you see yourself living with them in the space provided?
- Trust your instincts: sometimes, you’ll sense a connection.
Consider exploring Living Learning Programs (LLPs) as well. LLPs create communities for students with similar interests, offering a more tailored living experience.
Roommate Agreements
In fostering a healthy roommate relationship, effective and open communication is vital. To aid this, Housing and Residential Life provides a roommate agreement program for residents.
These agreements empower roommates to establish boundaries, preferences, and expectations upfront. Facilitated by a community mentor, these formal documents can be viewed and adjusted by all parties as necessary.
Room Transfers
Residents might find themselves needing to relocate during the academic year for various reasons. To understand the specific dates and policies regarding room changes or transfers, visit Request to Change/Transfer Room.