With just over four weeks left until graduation, it might seem like stress is on a downward slope for college-bound seniors – the weather is consistently delightful, the exams will soon be over, and the excitement of moving on to a new stage in life is about to reach its peak…until you factor in the madness that is the search for a roommate.

  There are several courses of action one could take: some choose a roommate from the people they’ve known for years, some choose randomly based on a survey put out by their college, and some have been taking the relatively new and increasingly popular option of searching for a circle of friends on social media.

  Colleges are now setting up Facebook groups, often proudly displaying the title, “Class of 2020,” where incoming freshman can connect with their future classmates, whether they share a major, residence hall, or even a common interest.

  Senior Beth Martin, who met her roommate at an orientation at her college, the University of Pittsburgh – Greensburg Campus, but connected with her on social media, describes with fondness the discussions that she witnessed on her class’s Facebook page.

  “I would’ve never gotten to know her if…we never would have…officially met [on Facebook], so that’s definitely a really big thing…seeing who my other classmates are is definitely a really, really cool thing, because I won’t go in there and have…no idea what’s going on or who any of them are,” said Martin. “One of the first posts I ever saw was, ‘Hey, anybody like Pokemon?’”

  Other searching students, like senior Regan Lawlor, who will attend Bloomsburg University in the fall, have affirmed this online connection, stating that it’s shared interests that bring now-virtual roommates together.

  “Basically, we just talked about why we like Bloomsburg and [introduced] ourselves like you would a normal friendship, and it kind of just went from there,” Lawlor said. “[My potential roommate and I] have a lot in common, and we both do cheerleading, we kind of like the same music, the same movies, we’re pretty similar, and I can see myself living with her.”

  Still, there are certainly other elements that play into the ultimate choice of a roommate – as senior and future attendee of Lynchburg College Maggie Kaliszak recalls, mutual interests were just one part of the decision.

  “…We’re both in the honors college, so…we’d be on similar schedules and understand the importance of school,” said Kaliszak.

  While meeting someone to spend the first year of the college experience with online can be seen as unconventional, in no way does it bar genuine connections from being made – as Martin confirms, sometimes the distance can allow for even more discovery about one another.

  “We were watching Tangled at the same time, but she lives in New Jersey, and we were just texting back and forth about it, and we were freaking out over Disney,” Martin said. “…Over the social media aspect of it, it was definitely that we just talked and found out more about each other, like she’s a really nerd too, and it’s great…definitely that is going to help when we move in together…”

  Talking to future classmates online can also help make an intimidating campus more familiar, according to Lawlor.

  “…It kind of makes it easier because going in to college can be scary not knowing anyone, and I think it’s nice to know at least one or two people that you know are going to be able to talk to and just get to know a little bit ahead of time,” said Lawlor.

  Whether or not a senior headed down the path to college chooses to explore their online options in terms of friends or roommates, one thing’s for sure: as Kaliszak affirms, facing the difficult task of assimilating into somewhere completely new through the medium of social media “…helps people to skip the awkward part.”