Listening to my fellow seniors lately, it seems like one of the most common struggles people are having right now is finding roommates for our college dorms next year. I’m the type to go crazy over planning things, so I started searching as soon as possible. My college does suite-style dorms, so I basically had to find three roommates. In this article, I have gathered 5 different things you can use to find roommates. These are in no particular order, but are considered to be highly-rated.

1. College Housing Portal

Usually, the same housing portal you use to register for your dorms (i.e., paying for housing, requesting a specific dorm building, et cetera) can also be used to find your potential roomie. In the portal, you can often browse profiles of potential roommates and reach out to those you think would be a good fit.

2. Roommate Matching Programs

Some colleges also offer roommate matching programs (these will usually be located around the same place you find your housing portal) where you can fill out a questionnaire about your habits, interests, and preferences, and then get matched with compatible roommates.

3. Social Media

This was the method I primarily used, and I imagine most of my fellow classmates are using as well. Finding your class’s Instagram page or Facebook page will grab you heaps of profiles and roommate requests from your future classmates. Then, all you have to do is message whoever you think you’d enjoy rooming with, and pray they agree.

I used Discord because my college has a Discord Hub that only students can access, full of a bunch of different servers. In one of the class of 2028 servers, there was a chat dedicated to finding roommates, and I found people there. It was a lot of fun!

4. Online Roommate Finder Platforms

Websites and apps like Roomsurf, RoomieMatch, or even Craigslist can connect you with potential roommates. Just be sure to vet them thoroughly before committing.

5. Reach out to Incoming Students

If you know anyone who’s also starting at your college, either through this school, or through extracurriculars, reach out to them to see if they’re looking for a roommate. This can be especially helpful if you already know each other or have mutual friends. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend rooming with a good friend, because that can be a recipe for disaster and a destroyed friendship.

And that’s a wrap! I wish everyone luck on their roommate hunts!