11 Most Necessary College Roommate Questions To Ask Before You Meet

I’ve compiled the most necessary college roommate questions because roommates can honestly make or break your first year of college. Think about it! Your dorm is where you will return after long days, long nights, and when you’ve had the best day ever! You want good energy in your dorm, and that starts with the people you live with.

I personally loved my roommate during my first year in college. She was super sweet, studious, and was respectful of personal space. A couple of doors down, however, was my soon-to-be friend and her roommate. They not only had completely different personalities, backgrounds, and interests, but my friend’s roommate did not respect her personal space at all. She constantly bothered her while she was sleeping and she was completely oblivious to the problems she created.

This serves as a quick and easy guide to make sure you and your roomie are on the same page about the things that matter the most, even if you are on completely different schedules. Starting off on the right foot with your roommate is one of the best ways to start your college experience. So, here are the best college roommate questions to ask!

College Roommate Questions

How are you?

One of the first things you should do is just say “hey” and introduce yourself. Initiating the conversation and getting to know the person you will be living with (for at least a whole year) is not only polite but you’re just sending good energy and extending a hand to someone who is probably just as excited (and nervous) to start this new journey in life as you are.

Possible convo starter:

“Hey! Looks like I’ll be your new roomie. Looking forward to meeting you!”

Once they respond, I would get into some of the following questions in this blog post. You could also invite them to get some tea or coffee if possible. Making an effort shows that you care and that you are excited to meet them. And trust me, most freshmen don’t know anyone so you don’t understand how impactful this could be to someone who is nervous, alone, but also excited to start college.

Where are you from?

It’s always nice to see if someone is from a similar area as you. My roommate was from a small town in Oklahoma. She graduated in a class of about 100 students. I, on the other hand, am from a bigger city where my graduating high school class was around 1400 students! I didn’t even know you could have such a small high school to be honest, lol. But it was nice to know where my roommate called home.

Are you a night owl or an early bird?

I was both an early bird and a night owl! I had early classes but I still went to sleep pretty late because I used to be the biggest procrastinator… ever.

My roommate was an early bird. My old roommate is someone I admire as far as time management skills. She went to sleep early, woke up on time, and managed to get everything done that was important for that day. After discussing this with my roomie, we both knew to be considerate (and quieter) during certain hours of the day.

Are you comfortable with guests?

O.M.G. This one is so important to me! The last thing I want is to be fresh out of a shower, wrapped in my towel, picking out clothes and I hear a key turning and when it opens my roomie and a couple of friends decided to hang in our small box- I mean dorm. Small dorm.

Make sure you communicate if you’re comfortable or not with guests coming over. My roomie and I always had an agreement that if someone was coming over, we would let each other know in advance. Even if it was last minute and my friend and I were walking to my room, I would shoot my roomie a quick text letting her know. If we weren’t in the mood for guests, that’s ok, bring em another time. Having some type of agreement is setting good boundaries and just being respectful of each other.

Who’s bringing the fridge + microwave?

This is very important. My roommate’s older sister had a fridge that we used. I was grateful because this saved me $$$. I brought my older sister’s microwave she used when she was in college so we were good to go.

What’s your major?

This is something that could be helpful. I was on the scholar floor, but many girls on our floor had different majors. My roommate was a mechanical engineering major while I was studying biology. If you happen to have the same major, this could help big time with coursework, studying together, and determining which professor to take for your classes.

Do you want to coordinate a theme?

This could be a fun thing to decide on together on top of making your room stylish.

My roommate and I didn’t care about having a room theme, we both had our own style – very minimalistic overall. So if you and your roomie want to do a theme together or a certain theme color together, definitely ask! This can influence what you end up buying for your dorm.

Any major pet peeves?

This is such a thoughtful question. The last thing I wanted as roommates was to get on each other last nerves! Put any major pet peeves out in the open in the beginning, so that you both don’t argue or secretly hate each other for the year.

Will you be staying on campus during the weekends?

This is better phrasing than, “are you going to leave on the weekends so I can have some much-needed self-care time after a long and stressful week?”. Lol. But this is something I didn’t realize was such a common thing. Many students go home on weekends to visit their parents and even to get their laundry done. I only lived three hours away from home so it wasn’t a long commute for me, but I still didn’t go home every weekend.

when do you plan on moving in?

Figuring this out reduces stress on your actual move-in day. My roommate and I chose different days to move in But because they’re Oklahoma natives, they showed up on my move-in day so our parents could meet. Let me tell you, those dorm rooms are SMALL. At least my university had small dorm rooms that they should be ashamed of trying to fit two people in (LOL). Therefore, it’s so beneficial to move in at different times.

Make sure you have the time and space to comfortably move in! Also, check out my post all about move-in day to see tips and tricks to make it as seamless as possible.

Related Post: The Perfect Guide To Preparing For College Move-In Day

What is the thing you’re most excited about being in college?

I love to hear why people are in college. Whether it’s to be a first-generation graduate, to get a degree to pursue a dream job or to party (which believe it or not, is some student’s main goal). Everyone comes from different backgrounds and it’s always fun to hear people’s goals when entering this new phase of life. This is a great end to our college roommate questions because it reminds me to tell you to relax and be yourself. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a freshman in college. Enjoy it, work hard, network, party, live it up, but make sure you keep your head on straight and remember why you’re there in the first place.

These were my favorite college roommate questions I asked my roomie, and I couldn’t have had a better experience. If you have any questions about meeting your new roomie or questions about college life in general, leave a comment! I love talking about these things so feel free to connect with me.

Anyway, I hope you have as great of a roommate as I did, and I hope y’all get along so well. Be yourself, set boundaries, and you’ll have a wonderful time :).