Consequently, the person, or people, you share the space with should be thoughtfully selected. Luckily, incoming and returning OU students have many resources at their fingertips for all of their roommate-seeking needs.
Abby Joyner, an incoming freshman studying English, said when she first committed to OU in April, she immediately began her roommate search. She said the university has several online opportunities to get to know other incoming freshmen looking for a compatible roommate.
Those resources include Facebook groups and Instagram pages dedicated to building connections among the incoming OU class, Joyner said.
Joyner said social media was a large outlet for students to post short biographies and pictures of themselves to seek out other freshmen with similar interests and complementing personalities.
"That was how I met my roommate," Joyner said. "She posted, and then we followed each other and then we started DMing."
The outlets also effectively portray a person in a tangible way, Joyner said. She explained it could be difficult to connect with someone you have never met, but the social media posts allow for more transparency and opportunity to communicate one's personality.
Joyner said the posts benefit those looking for roommates as well as those simply looking to meet more of their fellow classmates.
"I would totally recommend getting involved in all of those different things because it makes it a lot easier to make friends," Joyner said. "You have at least a few people that you'll know or at least know their face because you've seen them on Instagram before."
Despite a variety of roommate-seeking resources, Joyner said there were definitely some difficulties and flaws in the process.
Though OU does provide options to ease the awkwardness and anxiety of communicating with strangers, Joyner said she knew she had to really push herself and take the initiative if she wanted to find a roommate that was a good fit, even if that meant entertaining some awkward conversations.
"It was just telling myself, if I don't reach out to people, then I'm not gonna get anywhere," Joyner said. "We're all in the same boat here, and I just have to do it because that's the only way I'm going to meet people."
Audrey Kneer, an incoming sophomore studying media production, said the university also offers My College Roomie, a website that assesses users' compatibility with other incoming students. However, Kneer waited too long while in the roommate selection process and had to enter the random roommate pool.
Though Kneer said it was not ideal, students who opted for or were placed in random selection were asked to complete a survey with questions concerning cleanliness, study habits and more.
"Even if you gave vague answers it still gave you a better chance of getting connected to someone good," Kneer said. "(If you) wait till the end and get stuck with a random selection, at least make sure you filled out that survey so you'll more likely be compatible with (your roommate)."
Kneer's roommate situation this year was a positive experience, and Kneer said it was evident that a lot of care and precision goes into matching students in the random selection process.
Throughout her search process, Joyner said she found it increasingly difficult to meet people from her program, specifically the honors college.
This presented a large obstacle, as honors housing is separate from the other university dorms. Joyner said she was worried she would not be able to find anyone online with similar housing requirements.
"I was having such a hard time finding other people (in the honors college)," Joyner said. "At the beginning it definitely was (challenging). I feel like I was one of the first people to post."
Despite the common residence hall requirement among freshman and sophomores on campus, there are multiple options in terms of dorm life at OU. The multitude of different living arrangements available include singles, doubles, triples and quad arrangements in three different room styles: traditional, suite-style and mod-style rooms. Each option has its benefits.
The living and roommate options offered present yet another critical decision for dorm residents. However, Joyner said she knew upon completing the initial housing contract that she wanted to live in a double.
"I'm not super social, so I knew that if I had a roommate, I would be able to like other friends and connections through them," Joyner said. "That was definitely a big factor."
Ultimately, Joyner said she was lucky enough to find a roommate for the upcoming year within the first couple weeks after submitting her housing contract. However, not everyone received the same luck as Joyner in their search.
Joyner challenged the university to do more to assess the issue.
"I think the (University) emails don't market it enough," Joyner said. "I know a lot of people are just really having a hard time finding roommates, so I think there could be more ways to market: this is how you can find them."
Now an incoming sophomore, Kneer will be living in a suite with three friends and is very glad to have the chance to live with familiar faces next year. Kneer advises others to seek the opportunity to live with roommates one feels comfortable with.
"Definitely find people that you're friends with and someone that you spend time with and that you can tolerate," Kneer said. "(It does not) need to be your best friend, but as long as you can get along well with them and talk things out, then you'll be okay."