Living on campus ...

The excitement and tension is building to a fever-pitch at this point in the summer.  Students living on campus have received their room and roommate assignments.  They have made some form of contact with one another, most likely through FaceBook.  Perhaps a phone call or an email was made.

I caution your students from making snap judgements about their roommates based on these brief social media encounters.  Until you can meet someone face-to-face and look them in the eyes you have no idea what that person is like.  Basing characterization on someones FaceBook page is not fair to them.  Many folks (especially teenagers) use their site as a form of self-expression but present very differently in person. 

I would also caution that roommates do not have to be best friends, they just have to be able to live together and respect one another.  Not all roommates will click personally as friends, but will be able to share a living space.  I had two roommates my first year and I clicked with one and not the other, but we were all able to respect one another and the space we had. 

If for some reason the roommates absolutely don't get along (after some effort and at least working with their RA), the room change period starts two full weeks after classes start.  It is difficult to move in the fall because the residence halls are very full.  It is most often a body-for-body swap with someone else looking for a change.  There are rarely open spaces for folks to just move to.  So while they may not be happy in their living space, they may have to stick it out for awhile until something is available. 

Keep these things in mind as your student laments the fact that they don't like their roommate.