Research
The research is clear: your roommate experience matters.
Facts about roomies:
- For every full point a student’s GPA increases, their freshman roommate’s GPA increases by 0.11 point on average.
- There is a 9% increase in likelihood that a person will be happy for each happy friend he or she has.
- There is an 8.6% increase in likelihood of a student binge drinking when paired with a roommate who binge drinks.
- According to Allison Ryan, Associate Professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, first year students, because they are learning to build their own identities, are especially “impressionable to a roommate’s sway.”
- Studies show that male students with depressed roommates are more susceptible to depression themselves.
- 25% of students report college roommate problems.
- Research has show that bad relationships (conflicts) with roommates have been linked with dissatisfaction with school and a lower GPA.
- A national study reported that roommate conflicts negatively impact the academic performance of college students more than alcohol.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/smarter-living/common-roommate-problems.html
https://www.collegechoice.net/the-roommate-effect/
http://yuobserver.org/2015/10/how-your-roommates-affect-your-college-experience/
https://stevebrownapts.com/blog/research-shows-25-students-experience-college-roommate-problems/
http://mason.gmu.edu/~jshort/Erb%20Roommate%20Relationships.pdf
https://99agree.com/2015/08/18/cost_of_unresolved_conflict/
https://www.roomsurf.com/for-schools/index