For many students at Georgia Tech, finding roommates is one of the most important factors in their housing search.
Especially during your first years at Georgia Tech, the people that you live with can have a huge impact on your university experience.
At Whistler, we understand the importance of feeling confident in the roommates you choose. That’s why we’ve made this article with tips and tricks we think are helpful for students looking for roommates at Georgia Tech.
Tips & Tricks for Finding Roommates at Georgia Tech
Step 1: Know Your Must-Haves
Before you can start the search for a roommate, you need to figure out what your own non-negotiables are when it comes to your housing situation. A few good questions you can ask yourself are:
- What is my monthly budget?
- Do I want to live on or off campus?
- How many roommates am I comfortable having?
Once you have an idea of what your answers are to these basic questions, you can dive in a bit deeper.
If you already know you want to live on campus, do you have a certain dorm or general area you prefer? On the other hand, if you know you want to live off campus, is there a neighborhood or specific building you want to live in?
Read Next: Where to Live Near Georgia Tech if You Don’t Want to Live on Campus
Remember, these are just some general starting points. Make sure to consider what matters most to you when establishing your own must-haves!
Step 2: Ask Around!
If you need a roommate (or a few), don’t be afraid to make it known! Even if you think all of your friends already have roommates, they may still know people who are looking.
Another alternative to asking friends is to ask around your organization.
If you’re in Greek life, another campus organization, or club, you can often send out a message through their GroupMe or other messaging platform to let people know you’re looking for a roommate. Especially if it’s an organization you really enjoy being in, there’s a good chance many other members are like-minded people who you could get along with.
While having a mutual friend or organization doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you’ll be a good fit with a potential roommate, asking around is never a bad way to start searching.
Step 3: Utilize Your Resources
No matter who you are or what kind of roommate you’re looking for, you can find a platform to search for roommates.
Facebook groups are an amazing place to search because it’s easy to get specific about the type of roommate you’re looking for. There are groups for incoming freshmen, transfer students, people in the same major, and more! The best part about this is that students give a bio on themselves and their habits as well as the ideal type of roommate who would get along with them.
I personally found my freshman year roommate by DMing her after seeing her bio post on Facebook, and we have been best friends ever since.
Many apartment complexes geared towards students will also offer roommate matching services to help simplify this process for you. Usually when you fill out your application to live there, it will ask you a few questions about your living habits and preferences. Filling out this information can allow you to be paired with someone else in need of a roommate.
Step 4: Make Sure It’s a Good Fit
One of the most important parts of ensuring that you and a potential roommate will be a good fit is establishing that you have somewhat compatible lifestyles.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions to get to know the other person’s living habits. What time do you typically wake up and go to bed? How often do you clean your living space? What do you like to do for fun? How do you feel about visitors?
Creating clear expectations early on helps you set boundaries with a roommate. The easiest way to avoid conflict is knowing what someone expects from you and what you expect from them.
Something else to remember is that just because someone is a good friend doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be a good roommate. If your lifestyles and living habits are too different, you risk losing a friend over roommate disagreements. But, if you’re confident that you can share a living space, being roommates with your close friends can be one of the best times of your life.
We hope that this article helps you if you’re searching for roommates. Contact the Whistler team if you have any questions at all during your housing search!
