Finding your Ideal Roommate in College: Forget Craigslist

In fall 2014, approximately 21 million students were expected to enroll at colleges and universities across the United States, which was an increase of more than 5 million since fall 2000. Whether people are attending classes to gain qualifications & improve their prospects, or for the life experience college offers, there’s no denying that moving away from home can be a big deal for most of us – leaving the household you’ve always known, and the comforts that come with it, is incredibly intimidating.

For many college students, finding a roommate can be both a blessing and a curse: living with a like-minded friend gives you a friendly pillar of support to lean on when times are tough; on the other hand, being stuck in an apartment with a person you actively try to avoid will only serve to make life, and your studies, that much more difficult.

The Usual Channels – Meeting your Candidates

Arriving in a new city, particularly one as big and bustling as New York City, Chicago, or LA, affects people in different ways: some thrive on the constant activity and energy filling the streets around them, whereas others can become withdrawn and overwhelmed.

College is a defining period in the lives of everyone who attends, no matter how good or bad their experiences are. However, the work involved is incredible, particularly if you undertake a subject as complex as medicine or physics, and finding a new roommate can seem like a real burden. This may lead people to rush through the process, using sites such as Craigslist and choosing the first applicant they meet.

Not only can this land you with a roommate you really can’t stand, it can also prove dangerous: while someone might sound decent enough in that first email, by the time you invite them into your new home, you have no idea who or what they really are. While many people use such anonymous sites with great success, that very faceless nature of first contact can be off-putting: if you feel nervous and lost in a big city, searching for a new friend to share the college experience with, you’ll want to form a real bond.

A new site – Your New Roommate – offers college students a new, simple, and innovative way to find their new friend.

A New Dimension to Roommate-Hunting

Created by Elliott James and Harry Jeanty, Your New Roommate introduces audio-visual capabilities to the roommate-hunt, allowing members to enjoy conversations with candidates in a safe – yet intimate – way.

While Craigslist and other listing sites are well-established and feature massive user-bases, Your New Roommate removes that anonymous quality from the process: rather than simply scrolling through emails to vet applicants, college students can talk with interested parties at their own leisure without the effort or risk demanded by numerous face-to-face meets at diners or coffee shops. As soon as members register, they can refine their search by selecting whether they’re looking for a home or a roommate, whether they’re male or female, and what their budget or stipulated rent is – by streamlining the process so finely, users avoid the hassle of interacting with unsuitable people, saving time and effort.

Elliott James had been through a difficult process of roommate-hunting himself when he arrived in NYC for college.

“Finding a new roommate, from the hundreds of people in New York City searching for a home, was incredibly intimidating,” said James. “I remember encountering all kinds of people – some I’d be happy to share a home with, others I’d honestly cross the street to avoid.

“This is a difficult situation to be in at any time, but when you’re a college student – with limited funds and lots of work to do – it can make life even more difficult. People should never rush into such a monumental decision, which they may be tempted into if they find the process laborious.

“Your New Roommate provides real-time audio-visual for users to chat and bond from the comfort of their own homes. This is quick, simple, and safe.”

As fall 2015 approaches, millions of young people will be on the hunt for a new home in cities across the country – finding that perfect person to share your space with can be tricky, but thankfully, modern technology continues to make this easier and safer.