As college aspirations become reality for current ETHS seniors, the process to find a potential roommate serves as yet another daunting task for several students who near this new chapter of their lives. 

College acts as a major stepping stone in the journey towards adulthood; for many, it develops strong character, motivates us to become the best versions of ourselves, and can even help to discover the career path that directly targets our interests. Finding the right roommate who’s able to guide and support you can help make all of this possible. For some, the best person to do this is someone they went to highschool with.

Seniors Ava Daye and Myah Davis have made the decision to continue their friendship as roommates at Northern Illinois University (NIU). 

Daye’s decision to attend NIU was influenced heavily by her major, in which she believes her academic goals can be fulfilled by the school’s exceptional educational program. Going forward, Daye is excited to pursue a career in early childhood education. 

However, Davis wasn’t aware of her interest in the school until she visited the campus.

“The environment was really welcoming and it was very diverse. It kind of reminded me of ETHS, just with a little bit more people of color. I felt like I could see myself there,” Davis shares. “I felt like I didn’t have to look at any other schools.” 

Daye was thrilled to put an end to the search for a roommate as soon as she got the call that Davis had also committed to NIU.

The transition to a brand new environment can be overwhelming, so rooming together has brought both Daye and Davis peace knowing they will have each other to rely on. 

While the two are still in the early stages of their friendship, Davis feels strongly that their ability to respect one another’s boundaries shows clear signs of roommate compatibility. 

“We communicate with each other very well. We’re really comfortable with letting one another know the things that we do and don’t appreciate,” Davis shares. “We’ve also been in each other’s like spaces before so we know that we like certain things to be orderly, but also don’t mind if other areas are less orderly. It is important to [understand] that if something’s wrong, we can always talk to each other about it.”

Daye wants a roommate that is positive, flexible, and honest. She feels strongly that Davis can serve as this person.

Similarly, Eva Eiseman and Ella Greenberg have decided to room together at the University of Iowa. 

The vast majority of friends that choose to become roommates have already built a foundation rooted in trust which allows the transition to be smoother, with less risk involved.

“It’s definitely the easier route and I definitely [considered], like ‘is this kind of just taking the easy way out?’, but when talking to my friends who [chose] roommates they didn’t know [prior] to college, they shared how it can be hard to jump to random people. So in that sense, there is [comfort in knowing] I won’t have to stress about deadlines or just hoping that I will enjoy the company [of someone I don’t know],” Eiseman says. “But I mean, [Ella and I] are still going to go through all the things everyone else has to go through, in terms of planning. So at the end of the day, it is kind of the same.”

“We’re not taking all of the same classes, so we won’t be butting heads in that [sense]. But we both take school very seriously,” Eiseman shares. She continues, “I know [Ella] likes to have fun and we can definitely go out together. Also, we’re both planning on rushing in the fall, which a lot of people look for in the roommate just because then you’re on similar schedules.”

For those who have doubts about becoming roommates with an existing friend, Eiseman stresses the importance of not putting an excessive amount of pressure on the decision. However, she also believes that the person you choose to room with has to be someone that you can coexist with.

“Don’t have too much expectation with it because it’s supposed to be fun. This will be my first time living with someone else and I’m so excited,” Eiseman says. “But not all friends you have, you could live with. So I think you definitely have to think about that and make sure you can get along with them [almost] 24/7 because that’s how much time you’re spending with them. But I wouldn’t tell people not to do it. She’s going to be in my life, but we’re gonna meet so many new people.”

Echoing the importance of compatibility with a roommate, Cate Seward and Tatum Norris are looking forward to rooming together at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

“I think we both felt that we wanted someone we could be comfortable with and someone that we felt knew we would be compatible with,” Seward explains. 

Norris explains how the comfort of having grown up with your future roommate can offer a stronger relationship and offer fewer potential conflicts. 

“I think [it’s important to make] sure you know that you’re going to like the person you are going to room with,” Norris says. “I also felt like the whole roommate process was really intimidating and rooming with someone I [didn’t] know was scary to me. We have both been on trips together before and know how the other person lives.”

Additionally, Davis emphasizes the importance of communication, especially when rooming with a friend. 

“I would honestly say if you want to room with your friend, I think you should do it despite what other people say,” Davis says. But if you’re going to do it, you have to make sure that you’re okay with voicing your needs or else it’s not gonna work at all. Communication is very much key; if you don’t have communication, then you’re gonna be you’re gonna make yourself miserable.”

Daye echoes the beliefs of the others.

“Take the ‘risk’ of rooming with [your friend]; in the end you’ll most likely end up with a lifelong friend,” she says. 

Additional ETHS students rooming together were reached out to with no response.