Most first-year Pepperdine students choose their roommate in the hopes of finding their perfect match but they aren’t any happier than their randomly paired peers.
A Pepp Post poll of 51 students found that 67 percent of first-year students chose their roommate rather than allowing the StarRez housing portal algorithm to make the match for them. However, the poll also found that the randomly selected students polled were more likely to want to room with their person again.
In interviews, randomly selected and chosen roommates alike said they’re content with their living situation.
“Either way, I think you’re good,” freshman business major Daniel Van Oort said. “You can’t artificially force friendship. If you click with someone you do.”
Students and experts discussed the process of both methods, roommate conflict and what is considered a “successful” roommate experience.
Selecting a roommate
The poll found that most first-year students used their class Facebook page or the StarRez housing portal to select their roommate. The StarRez housing portal uses its algorithm to give suggested roommates for students to message and choose from.
Students who used their class Facebook page said they posted photos of themselves with a small introductory bio. Rachel Lando, a freshman media production major, said her mother called it Pepperdine’s “dating service.”
“It was what everyone else was doing,” Lando said. “It was fun to make a profile and look at other peoples’ profiles.”
Lando said she started messaging her roommate when she saw they had similar music tastes and views on faith. They quickly agreed to be roommates and Lando said they exchanged phone numbers and social media handles.
Where freshmen use their class Facebook page, first-year transfer students tend to use the StarRez housing portal as a starting point in the roommate selection process.
Sophomore finance major Jared Maguire began talking to his roommate on the StarRez housing portal before they moved the conversation to texting.
“Talking to someone and feeling them out a little bit is always better than turning up and seeing what you got,” Maguire said.
Directors of residence life at multiple universities have found that self-selected roommates tend to stay together for at least the first semester, Lisa Foderaro wrote in an August 2010 New York Times article.
Selecting a roommate does not guarantee that the living situation will be smooth sailing, but it does give students the independence to choose who they may have to navigate rocky waters with.
“There’s not really regrets if you choose because it’s 100 percent your responsibility,” Lando said. “And I feel like that’s what college is all about.”
A match made by math
Leaving the roommate selection process up to an algorithm begs the question of what metrics are being used to pair roommates.
The StarRez housing portal asks six lifestyle questions on a sliding scale, and students who are compatible in these areas are paired up.
The poll found that 80 percent of students think the StarRez housing portal asks relevant questions.
“It does kind of help that they are more lifestyle based,” said Daniel Zarasua, a junior liberal arts major and Shafer House Resident Advisor. “As an RA, a lot of the conflicts we have are lifestyle.”
Although lifestyle questions are well received, 47 percent of students in the poll would like to see additional questions added to the StarRez housing portal, including a personality section.
Philip Cho, the occupancy and assignments manager for Housing and Residence Life, said the portal focuses on lifestyle questions because they are more quantifiable than personality traits, which is important for the algorithm.
“The way I think of it, those suggested roommates are a starting point for a deeper conversation,” Cho said. “Our lifestyle preference questions ask the basic questions but that shouldn’t be where the communication stops. That’s a starting point for finding someone who’s in the same ballpark as you, in terms of lifestyle.”
Students who relied on the algorithm said they didn’t know anyone going to Pepperdine or they didn’t want the added pressure of selecting a roommate.
“I was just too lazy to go on there and try to find somebody and make the effort to pick them,” Van Oort said.
Although randomly assigned, roommates don’t always meet blindly on the first day. The poll students found that 86 percent of students contacted their roommate before arriving at Pepperdine.
Psychology Professor Cindy Miller-Perrin said random roommates bring uncertainty about the living situation.
“I think the random assignment is luck of the draw,” Miller-Perrin said. “You might get a roommate you’re compatible with that you like but you might not. All the research suggests that the more similar you are to a roommate or a romantic partner, the more likely the relationship will be of high quality and long standing.”
She encouraged potential roommates to research each other beforehand.
“More information is better, so there’s no harm in doing research, meeting people, getting to know them, seeing if you’re compatible,” Miller-Perrin said. “I would recommend that.”
Trouble in paradise
Both randomly assigned and selected roommates have experienced rifts in their living environment, usually involving their lifestyle habits.
Junior economics major Lora Kirschner transferred to Pepperdine in Fall 2018 and selected her roommate through the StarRez housing portal. She said she was in constant communication with her roommate over the summer.
“We were really good friends in the beginning but I think we just got too close too quick,” Kirschner said. “Then we just let things slide in the room that normal roommates probably wouldn’t have.”
The poll found that only 10 percent of students don’t get along with their roommate.
Nicole Duyao, the associate director for Residence Life, explained that HRL gets the most complaints about lifestyle differences.
“I think what I most often see or hear about are the basic living essentials,” Duyao said. “Sleep schedules is a big one. Cleanliness is another big one. Those sorts of things are generally what come up most often.”
Ortega said he hasn’t had any major conflicts with his roommate but that the random pair is very conscious of their alone time.
“I feel like when you have that life outside together, you bring those problems into the room,” Ortega said. “Just having separate lives outside makes it a better living situation.”
Relationship IQ Director Kelly Haer specializes in helping young adults strengthen healthy relationships and explained how students can move forward after conflict.
“The minimum is respecting each other, caring for each other, and creating a space that feels like home,” Haer said.
Interpersonal Communication Professor Bert Ballard also gave his advice to students.
“Try not to have a lot of expectations,” Ballard said. “Get good at drawing boundaries. Be willing to learn from your roommate. They’re not bad people. They just do things a little bit differently than you do. Build that face to face relationship.”
Roommates or best friends?
Are roommates built-in best friends? The poll found that 76 percent of all students consider themselves friends with their roommate.
Lauren Miles, a freshman integrated marketing communication major, said she found her adventure buddy when she selected her roommate.
“We’re best friends,” Miles said. “We hang out all the time. It’s super comfortable.”
Not every roommate relationship will culminate in a lasting friendship but Haer said that does not make the experience any less successful.
“I think if a student can feel good about who they are and how they’ve treated their roommate, and grown in how they handle communication conflict, I think that’s a very successful experience, even if it’s not pleasant,” Haer said.
Dyani Heredia-Urias completed the reporting for this story in Jour 241 in Fall 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Christina Littlefield and Dr. Theresa de los Santos. Dr. Littlefield supervised the web version of the story.
