As more seniors commit to universities where they will spend the next four years of their lives, the process of finding a roommate to dorm with brings its own plethora of challenges. Some will choose to have a random person assigned. Others might room with their high school best friend. But what about the people who decide to meet someone completely new? How can two people go from strangers to sleeping in the bed right next to theirs? 

In short, social media is where the magic happens. Most of the time, there are many Instagram and Facebook accounts for every school, allowing you to connect with future classmates (and potentially your future roommate). For University of Pittsburgh this year, for instance, there’s “@Pitt2029meet”, “@Pitt2029class”, and many more. These accounts hold the key for many people seeking to find friends. 

Face value, the process is really quite simple. Most of the time, the accounts have a link in the account’s bio that leads you to a separate site. There, you can upload some pictures of you and your life, write a caption mentioning things you like or dislike, and view the completed post afterward. 

After your pictures are uploaded, however, is when the pressure begins. You are able to scroll through the account, finding people who interest you, and begin to DM them. No one really talks about how stressful this part of the college process is. 

Are they nice? Do they leave their food out until it gets moldy? Do they shower? Will we get along? All of these questions have surfaced in my head at least once while I searched high and low for my future roomie. It’s hard going from an acquaintance to an actual friendship. And it’s even more difficult determining if they will platonically match with you enough to live with them. 

Either way, this time next year, countless seniors at North Penn will be living with a person they had no idea existed the year before. That thought is scary, but there is something exciting underneath the uncertainty. Something almost special. And that feeling is getting to build connections with new people you never thought you would and experiencing life after high school.