Residence Roommates
The art of roommate matching down to a science.
Our 99% success rate speaks for itself. Out of 330 pairs last year (that’s 660 students!), only three sets had to be reassigned. It’s amazing how many students who thought they wanted a single tell us having a roommate made their year better than they could have ever imagined.
Maybe it’s a Mount A thing. Find out more about how the magic happens.
Roommate Pairing: How it’s done
History of Success
What is the success rate?
We care passionately about ensuring new students have the best start to university life at Mount Allison. Out of 330 pairs of roommates (that’s 660 students!) in 2009, only 3 sets of roommates didn’t work out.
Why should students experience having a roommate in residence?
Your first year of university is going to be your biggest step since starting grade school.
It’s a big transition because the security of being at home with your parents is gone.
You are going to be in a room with someone in the exact same situation. You’ll have someone to go to the dining hall with the first time. It will help you make more connections and you will end up meeting a wider variety of people. Having a roommate gives you someone to share all your new experiences with.
Perhaps more importantly, having (and being) a roommate is Life Lessons 101.
You learn a lot more in university than just books. With a roommate, you learn to compromise and to communicate better. These are invaluable lessons out in the working world.
What are the top three tips for a students who will be living with a roommate?
(1) Go in open minded
(2) Embrace it because it will be a good experience.
(3) Talk to your roommate before you get here.
Our housing department is responsible for matching residence roommates. The process is disciplined, fair and highly personalized.
What is the method for matching students?
It starts with the $100 deposit. The date you pay the $100 registration fee is key. That immediately puts you on the list in a priority sequence. (no jumping line!)
We start reading the residence applications as soon as they come in. We read them very carefully, so we can see each student’s profile— what they like and what they don’t like.
The applications are separated by male and female and printed out. Then we go top to bottom, following the order that the $100 registration fee was paid.
We look closely at the profiles and it’s the little things that matter. If one person likes country music and the other heavy metal, they’re probably not going to be the best match. Someone who plays sports and someone who watches will tend to get along very well.
What questions help match students best?
First of all, it’s really important for students to do the questionnaire on their own. In some cases parents wish to assist our prospective students however it is best that the residence application is completed by the student. We encourage them to select three different residences as well as fill all the questions in the application. If a student changes their mind on what they wish to have on their application, we can change everything on an application except meal plan options.
All the questions are really relevant.
Take, for instance, tidiness of your room. If you are someone who is really neat, you need to be matched with someone who is always neat. Some people will say that they don’t care but that is an important one to let me know.
There is a comments area that is very helpful. Just put a small, 10-word comment about yourself, like “I love animals” or “I really enjoy mystery novels”, or “I volunteer at a daycare.” Something you enjoy doing outside of school really gives me an insight into who you are and what their personality is like.
This past year, we added questions about music and sports, which has helped make our matchmaking process the best it’s ever been.
Which residences do students request the most?
Students often choose Campbell, Harper, and Windsor on the “north side” because they are closer to the dining hall. But nothing is really very far away from anything on our campus.
There has been a noticeable switch to the other side of campus since the Student Centre was built.
Five of our houses are on the “south side” and there are now a lot more requests for them in comparison to other years. They have a smaller house, family feeling and are closer to popular amenities like the fitness centre, the bookstore, the pub, the pool and the library.
Do students usually get one of their top three choices of residences?
The date you pay the $100 registration fee, is what places students in priority of room assignment. Every year the earliest date of the registration fee is different from previous years. Rooms are not assigned until after the Housing deposit date of June 4th. Students with all fees paid on time as well as filling out their residence application will be assigned and guaranteed a room on campus. Every year there are students who do not get any of their requested residences, however; these students find out quickly that whatever residence they live in is the Best residence to live in.
We care passionately that your residence experience is the best it could possibly be. You’ll find that the Dons, RAs, Academic Mentors and your fellow residents will be there to support you in every way and make your year a happy and productive one wherever you live on campus.
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