So, it’s almost time to meet the person you’ll be sharing a room with next year. At University of the Pacific, our simple roommate selection is a process aimed at relieving any stress you may have about finding your roommate.
Whether you’re returning to campus or a first-time student, the Office of Residential Life and Housing has your back and will listen to your questions and concerns while navigating this important process. Here is a quick guide on how the roommate matching process works.
How Roommate Matching Works
The Office of Residential Life and Housing realizes there may be some apprehension around moving to campus, but nothing about the process is random. The first step in the process is logging on to the housing portal to register for housing.
In addition to verifying contact information, the housing registration process allows you to establish all your lifestyle preferences: how late you like to stay up, whether you like to have people over, etc. If you want to be paired with someone in the same major, housing can easily make that happen.
“Trust in the process and focus on the opportunities that on-campus housing provides, your roommate is a very small part of the Pacific experience as a whole,” said Associate Director for Housing Administration Charlotte Stackpole.
“There’s so much more that’s waiting for you as a student between your academics and recreational activities.”
It is important to remember that you don’t need to be best friends with your roommate, you’re just looking for someone you’re comfortable living with. Many roommates do end up becoming great friends after meeting each other at the beginning of the semester.
“One of the goals of campus housing is to find someone that you are compatible to live with. Learning to be compatible with someone is a life skill that is way more important than finding your best friend on the first day of school,” Stackpole said.
Once the academic year starts, you’ll sign a roommate agreement based on each other’s preferences. This agreement will allow you to work out a personalized set of rules and responsibilities, like trash duty or when it’s time for lights out.
We have a post about reaching out to your roommate that includes an email template.
How to Room with a Friend
At Pacific, students can also indicate a preferred specific roommate. When registering for housing in the housing portal, you and your friend can find each other by entering your 989 Pacific ID numbers and mutually requesting and accepting each other as roommates.
Inclusivity in Housing
When filling out your preference during housing registration, you can also confirm that you are comfortable living with someone who identifies as a gender different than your own.
Ritter House is a Quad community at Pacific that offers gender-inclusive housing and bathrooms for all its students.
Switching Roommates
In rare instances where roommates experience challenges, the Office of Residential Life and Housing is here to support you. Room swap events happen three times a year and allow students to choose from available spaces or work out a room swap with another student. At other times of the year, students meet with their resident adviser and their area coordinator to review questions and discuss options. The goal is to support peer communication and problem-solving skills while ensuring that students find a living space to grow and thrive.
Welcome to Your Lair
The Housing team and student resident adviser are already preparing for your arrival in the Fall. Orientation and Week of Welcome will help you get to know roommates, community members and classmates before classes even begin! Stay tuned for more exciting information about your living space, what to bring and Move-In Day! See you on August 17!
Visit the housing portal to get registered today.