Every senior’s Instagram feed is filled to the brim with strangers who may soon become their closest friends, and every senior classroom buzzes with the burning question: “Have you found your roommates yet?” As graduation draws near and almost all college decisions are finalized, seniors are shifting their focus to living accommodations, specifically finding roommates.
There are “Class of 2029” Instagram pages for almost every college, which are a huge help for finding roommates, potential friends and creating group chats.
“The Instagram pages for finding roommates are pretty overwhelming,” Tack said. “There’s so many different people, and there’s new people on there daily. I feel like for the University of Arizona in particular, everyone seems to have the same hobbies, so it’s really difficult to see how someone’s personality is through it.”
As Tack described, the majority of future students posting on these accounts write themselves very similar biographies. It’s almost as if they use a template, stating their name, hometown and a few hobbies that typically range within shopping, going to concerts, working out and getting coffee, making it difficult to find someone who you truly feel you can connect with.
“I kind of get it, because when you say the same things, you have more things in common with other people, but I feel like it just doesn’t showcase their personality enough,” Tack said.
Still, Tack plans to post on the account and reach out to others who have posted. Senior Chengrui Kou, who recently committed to UT Austin, has also found value in these Instagram pages.
“I posted on the UT ’29 page to meet new people,” Kou said. “I sent out DMs to people, and people also contacted me.”
The connections created through Instagram come with a cost, however: Kou had to pay a $3 fee to the account holder. The creation of roommate finding pages has become a business. As multiple accounts for the same college are created, account holders compete with each other, aiming to get the largest following and greatest profit, with prices going up to $5 per post. Despite the rising popularity of these pages, several students also look to apps and reach out to alumni for advice.
“I’ve also talked to upperclassmen that went to UT to ask for their opinion,” Kou said. “They were saying that it would be better to find someone that you know, because you can’t really trust people online.”
While Kou feels more comfortable rooming with someone he knows of, the popular notion not to room with your friends still stands.
“People say to not live with your friends because you get to know them beyond a friendship situation,” Tack said. “I feel like it would be more complicated, and I want to expand my horizons and meet as many new people as possible.”
Tack is excited to room with someone to get a feel for her ideal college living experience, building a new kind of relationship.
“I want to really know what it’s like to stay with someone in this tight room and build a bond that is not just friendship, but also boundaries,” Tack said. “I’m a believer that you don’t really need to be friends with your roommate; you just need to be amicable with them.”
