65+ Essential Questions To Ask Potential College Roommates
Living with a roommate in college? Here are 65+ essential questions to ask potential college roommates that you should know the answers to before move in day.
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Finding a roommate for freshman year of college can be really daunting. You’ll basically be living in a tiny box with this person for an entire year, so you want to make sure you’re really compatible before agreeing to live together.
Some people choose to go the random roommate route, while others try to find a good match on their incoming class’ Facebook group.
I chose to have a random roommate, and I’m very lucky that it worked out well. I know other people who have had total nightmares of roommates, though.
If you want to lessen the likelihood of ending up with a bad roommate, use these essential questions to ask potential college roommates before you decide to live together.
Questions For Getting To Know Each Other
- Where are you from?
- What is your major?
- What are your hobbies and interests?
- Are you an introvert or extrovert?
College Savvy Tip: Introverts and extroverts can definitely live together peacefully, but it’s a good idea to know that about the other person first. You don’t want to put them in situations that make them feel uncomfortable.
- What kinds of movies, TV shows, or books do you like?
- Are you interested in traveling or studying abroad?
- What kind of music do you listen to?
- Do you drink coffee or tea?
Follow-up Question: are you bringing a coffee maker to the dorm? This will be helpful when discussing what items you can share with your future roomie.
- Do you play any sports? Will you be playing a sport in college?
- Are you more of a homebody or do you enjoy going to social events/parties?
- Do you have any siblings?
- What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend?
- Are you in a relationship?
- Are you planning on rushing for a fraternity or sorority?
College Savvy Tip: If greek life is big at your school, this is a super important roommate question to ask. Students who join sororities or fraternities are often WAY busier with social events.
- How often do you plan to visit home?
- Do you think you’ll get homesick?
- What high school did you go to?
- Were you involved in any clubs or sports in high school?
- Is religion important to you?
- Do you have a job / will you work on campus?
- Do you have any pets at home?
College Savvy Tip: It’s always a good sign if you and your potential roommate are both animal lovers!
- Do you have any volunteering or community service interests?
- How do you feel about networking and making professional connections?
- Do you enjoy outdoor activities or adventures?
- When is your birthday? (Make a note of your roommate’s birthday so you can do something nice for their big day!)
- What is your zodiac sign?
Roommate Questions About Personal Habits
- Do you drink?
- Are you a smoker?
- How often do you go out?
College Savvy Tip: These 3 questions are super important for potential college roommates. You don’t want to end up with someone who is partying all the time if that’s not your vibe at all.
- What is your usual bedtime?
- Are you an early riser or a night owl?
- What temperature do you prefer for the room?
- Are you comfortable with having friends over in our room?
- Have you ever shared a room with someone else before?
- What’s your routine like on weekends?
- How clean do you like to keep your room?
College Savvy Tip: Make sure that you have similar levels of cleanliness. If you’re a total clean freak, you’ll probably want to live with someone else who keeps their room super clean as well.
- How would you want to divide the cleaning duties?
- How do you feel about sharing personal items?
- Do you have any specific dietary preferences or restrictions?
- What time do you get up in the morning?
- Do you prefer to listen to music out loud or in your headphones?
- Do you have any habits that might affect a roommate (e.g., snoring)?
- What are your study habits like?
Follow-up Question: Do you prefer to study in your room or at the library? It’s good to know if you both plan on being in the room 24/7.
- Do you have any health concerns or allergies?
- Do you fall asleep to TV or a noise machine? Or do you like complete silence?
- How do you handle stress and anxiety?
- Do you shower in the morning or at night?
- How long do you usually take to get ready?
- Do you make your bed in the morning?
- What temperature do you like your room to be?
- How do you feel about overnight guests?
- What are your thoughts on sharing food and groceries?
Questions Specific To College Dorm Life
- Are you lofting your bed or using bed risers?
- How are you planning to decorate your side of the room?
- Do you have a preference for which dorm building you want to live in?
College Savvy Tip: Some schools allow you to put down preferences for what dorm you want to live in. If you’re on the same page with where you want to live, make sure you both put the same answers down.
- Are you bringing a car to campus?
- Are you planning on using blackout curtains?
- How can I be a good roommate?
- Do you have any pet peeves for a roommate?
- Are you okay with splitting the cost of some larger dorm items?
- Are there any big dorm items that you’ve already purchased?
College Savvy Tip: You’ll want to know if your roomie has already bought big items like a TV, coffee maker, or rug. Read this post if you’re not sure what items to share with your roommate in college.
- Are there any rules we should establish before move in day?
- What are your study habits like?
- Have you had any roommate experiences before, and how were they?
- How do you balance academic responsibilities with social activities?
- How should I approach you if I have an issue or concern?
- Is there anything else you think I should know about you as a roommate?
- How do you deal with conflict?
College Savvy Tip: It’s a good idea to know each other’s conflict resolution styles. If one of you avoids conflict like the plague and the other one is super confrontational, you’ll need to be prepared for that.
This post was all about the best college roommate questions to ask before move in day. Hopefully these questions will help you find the best possible roommate to live with during your freshman year of college.
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