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.

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