Picking a 1L Roommate: How to Succeed and Survive in Law School Life
Picking a first-year roommate is a critical decision in the life of a prospective law student. You’ll end up interacting with them every day. You’ll see either the kitchen counter they leave clean or their dirty dishes. This is a person with the ability to impact you every day. Do not overlook the importance of your choice.
Let’s hedge this entire discussion. Money matters for some people. It doesn’t for others. If you’re fortunate enough to grab a one bedroom apartment and not care about rent, you should probably do it. You’ll have a fortress of seclusion to retreat to. You can selectively choose when to let people into your world. You’ll have a castle of tranquility decorated with what you want to see every day. You’ll have control. And as we’ll discuss in a minute, you can always find trouble if you want to.
If you’re like the vast majority of law students, you’ll consider a roommate because your rent will drop by a couple hundred bucks a month. The more expensive the housing market, the more you’ll save with a roommate.
All you need to do is find someone compatible for nine months of school. You don’t need a spouse, or a three year housing relationship. Survive and advance. Prioritize respect over “in my wedding.”
Here’s three ironclad rules for picking a first-year law school roommate:
Positive
Smiles are good. Pissing and moaning is bad. A nice calm, positive, demeanor is great. A lack of ability to control emotion is bad. The whole point of this is to keep an even keel. You need things on the positive side of the dial. When grades come back and shit hits the fan, you can’t have a roommate sniffling, drinking rum and slamming ice cream, bemoaning how much work he has, omitting to realize that by placing themselves in a rum-aided sugar coma, they’ve eliminated any chance of getting work done.
Pro tip: look for 1) people who have worked full-time jobs before law school [much better perspective on life, won’t freak out over little stuff], and 2) athletes or people who work out a bunch [probably have been yelled at by a coach before and toughened up along the way]. These people don’t freak out as easily.
Not looking for a Bestie
You don’t need a best friend. You need an acquaintance. You need friendly conversation, not a psychologist to analyze your every thought. Think of words like “cordial,” “acquaintance,” and “good terms.” Shy away from “can’t wait to take you to family Thanksgiving,” “Maid of Honor,” and “Lifelong confidante.”
By all means become best friends with your first year roommate. Definitely embrace it if it happens, but be cautious out of the gate. If it happens, outstanding. But you don’t need to set the bar very high when you start looking. Just a solid person you can be on good terms with.
Trend on the Quiet Side
This is hands down the most important aspect of looking for a roommate. On the spectrum between Silent Monk and Lindsey Lohan in her Prime, err on the silent side. You need to be able to call it a night on a Monday without listening to your roommate booting face in the shared bathroom. You want to be friendly but host nothing. Nightmare scenario is your roommate and roommate’s friends slamming wine on your couch three nights a week.
Don’t be afraid to live with a “nerd.” Nerds won’t keep you up as they slam HotPockets into the microwave piss drunk at four in the morning.
Fun is great, but on the totem pole of greatness, your sanity is more great.
Where to Meet?
It can be tricky to size up potential roommates. Most schools have a Facebook group. You should probably explore it.
Call me old-fashioned but I like face-to-face. I’m an ENORMOUS proponent of evaluate roommate talent at Admitted Students Weekend.
Where you meet doesn’t really matter. Remember the golden rules: Positive, Quiet, and No Need for a Best Friend.
@PeterChristianLaw