Sharon Blansett, assistant director of Housing for Research and Organizational Development, and Dawn Sayer, coordinator of undergraduate assignments, along with some of their staff, sent us some insider information.
For all those future freshies who just found out they got into UF, this is new stuff!
According to the housing department, in the Fall 2011 semester, new freshmen and transfer students will be allowed to pick their room and roommate online. To help the students meet each other, they will be offering a program called RoomBug, which is available within Facebook. RoomBug includes a matching system, which will help students determine what is important to them, the department said.
Our insiders also said incoming freshmen will be able to use GatorSpace, another way to connect with students and resident hall communities. However, this will be more unstructured than RoomBug, the department said.
Both of these should be available in April or May, according to the department.
The housing department also has a few wise words of advice:
1. Living with a best friend in a new situation can cause a lot of strain on the friendship.
(lifestyle choices+ midterms+ extra curriculars =/= happy BFFs)
2. Live close to your friends from high school, but not necessarily with them.
3. It will be an adjustment to share a room, no matter who it is with!
4. It is better to solve roommate issues in person, versus through the many means of social networking.
5. Your RA and Graduate Hall Directors are there for a reason; ask for their help, as they are trained to deal with roomie problems.
Happy (roommate) Hunting!