The good, the bad and the ugly of choosing your roommate

Choosing your own roommate can be a delight or a disaster. You might be happy with your choice to actively share a space with someone or regret the decision you made.

College freshmen Jacob Cohen and Michael Becker decided to room together after meeting on a cruise ship to the Caribbean in December 2015, after both received their early decision acceptances from Penn.

“We each happened to be wearing Penn shirts,” Cohen said recounting how the two met.

Cohen and Becker spent time together during the cruise. They both agreed that knowing one another before living together helped them gauge their roommate dynamic.

“Because we met in person,” Cohen said, “the chance that it was a disaster was low.”

“It was unexplainably lucky,” Becker agreed, “It was nice knowing that he was a normal guy. He wasn’t going to do dumb stuff.”

Since their meeting last winter, the boys’ parents have also become good friends.

“Our moms text a lot,” Becker joked.

Unlike Cohen and Becker, College freshman Elyse Kochman and her roommate, Nursing freshman Monica Aber, were both late in deciding that they wanted to attend Penn. They met one another via mutual friends and only chatted over FaceTime once before meeting each other in person.

“We had absolutely nothing in common,” Aber joked. “It honestly probably works better that way.”

The two found that they got along because of their differences, not in spite of them. Even though Kochman and Aber are now close friends, both agreed their friendship was not a necessary component in being good roommates.

“I feel like even if we didn’t end up as close as we are, it would have been fine,” Kochman said.

Wharton freshman Eric Knorr also choose his roommate but had never met him prior to starting school at Penn. Knorr’s roommate plays football, which is unique considering most of the team lives together. His dad is friends with Penn’s football coach, who connected Knorr with his current roommate.

“We have a surprising amount in common,” Knorr said. “He is probably my best friend at Penn.”

Unfortunately, not everyone who chose their roommate is satisfied with their decision. One College freshman found her roommate on the “University of Pennsylvania Class of 2020” Facebook page and said she’s had issues throughout the year.

“I got there [Penn] and then quickly realized that she had not described herself to the full extent that she behaved,” the student said, who chose to remain anonymous to avoid calling out her roommate.

She described her roommate as not picking up for herself and being messy. Her roommate would respond with excuses and would only clean up after a confrontation.

“She later on became much more accommodating, but it definitely took me awhile to get her to get to that point,” she said.

Though the student has had problems with the roommate she chose, she has learned valuable lessons about communication and relationships.

“Just because someone seems nice doesn’t mean you are compatible in every area,” she said. “Getting to know someone is more of a process than it sometimes may seem.”