Some like it; others hate it. Some have to deal with it; others avoid it. It's the roommate. For most, college has presented some of the greatest challenges. One of the biggest includes living away from home.
College students finally gain the freedom to make their own rules and live whatever lifestyle they want, but then comes the roommate.
For Adam Snider, freshman in pre-aerospace engineering, coming to Auburn from Dallas made it hard to know many people in the area when he first got here. Snider, an on-campus resident, made a radical decision--he decided to go with random roommate selection.
"I room with random people basically," Snider said. "Two of my roommates are gone all of the time, and the other is cool, but we don't hang out much."
The Village dorms provide icebreaker activities at the beginning of the year to make students in each residence hall more comfortable.
"On the first day, we just tried to get to know each other," Snider said. " I helped them move in."
Snider said he believes rooming with random roommates worked out well for his freshman experience because of the stories he has heard from his friends at other schools.
"I've heard of people at other schools who will room with their best friend, but it didn't work out," he said.
Although these stories are common, not all of them have a bad ending. Emily Philpot, sophomore in international business, lives on a sorority hall in the Village.
Philpot has lived with one of her roommates for a year, and the other two are her sorority sisters.
"We try to plan roommate stuff together," Philpot said. "We're all going to see 'The Roommate' tomorrow."
In spite of their close friendship, Philpot said she still experiences some roommate problems.
"Cleaning is always an issue, but I think that's an issue with anybody," Philpot said. "We have a schedule. We try to stick to it and give everybody a job."
Some people don't get along with a roommate because they enjoy independence. Monique Carlone, sophomore in agricultural economics and animal science-equine, said she thinks life is less complicated without a roommate.
"I'm a very independent person," Carlone said. "Living with another person is just not my thing."
Carlone, an off-campus resident, said she has never wanted a roommate.
"I just did not want a roommate because I'm very particular about the way things are," she said.
For Carlone, living alone allows her to have more freedom.
"It's like, 'Where am I stepping on their toes?'" Carlone said. "But when you live by yourself you don't have to worry about that."
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