Is roommate with classmate a good idea?

Question

As an incoming MBA student, I rented a townhouse near campus and looking for a roommate. I wonder: generally speaking, is it a good idea to share a house with your MBA classmate? Now I have several candidates, one of which is my future MBA classmate, others are graduate students with other majors. It will be appreciate if you can share your viewpoint of if sharing with your MBA classmate is a good idea, and the pros and cons of it. Thanks!

wcgc · Answer

how well do you know this classmate vs. the other potential roommates? How big is your bschool? Essentially I view the situation as similar w/rooming w/your co-worker. If you guys get along, then there's the potential for a deeper friendship and connection, which is great at any bschool. But if you guys don't get along as roommates, depending on how bad things go, then the fallout could have consequences that can potentially impact your reputation within bschool, esp. if the school is small enough. Of course things may never get THAT bad, I'm just hypothesizing the worst possible scenario here.

If you room w/a non-MBA student, then even when things don't work out, it won't impact you as much in the bschool community b/c the non-bschool students are less likely to know other bschool students. If things work out, then potentially you get a new non-bschool friend or just a nice roommate.

Your call.

If you room w/a non-MBA student, then even when things don't work out, it won't impact you as much in the bschool community b/c the non-bschool students are less likely to know other bschool students. If things work out, then potentially you get a new non-bschool friend or just a nice roommate.

Your call.

bb · Answer

Based solely on my personal experience, I would recommend it. Helps esp. if you are from out of town and don't have any friends. I have stayed up many times late in the night discussing professors, classes, or homework.

I also spent a semester at the HKUST on exchange and was thrown together with 3 other guys who I had zero in common with to share an apartment on Campus

1. American going to School in Melbourne, Australia a martial art and jujitsu expert
2. 36 year old Brit from Manchester Business School who was very fond of Asian women and anything with alcohol
3. Indonesian guy from a school in Japan who was very smart and very quiet

It worked out very well but maybe that was due to my shining personality :lol:

P.S. I have heard some horror stories, but very few. Probability is on your side.

P.S. I have heard some horror stories, but very few. Probability is on your side.

msday · Answer

I agree with bb. The benefits (homework help, you can vent with the roommate, maybe same class schedules, interested in same things as you, at least professionally) outweigh the costs (could be a slob, maybe you're completely different people). You should definitely have some conversations with this person about living style before moving in together, but if that works out, go for it.

ShanMan · Answer

It can definitely be a good idea, but REALLY depends on the specifics of your situation and the personality of your roommate. I had a friend last year who was overwhelmed with transitions related to b-school as well as other things going on in her life. Her roommate was someone who was especially obsessed about school and had a way of bringing all of the drama of school back into the house, and she felt like she couldn't ever really rest. However, many of my other friends have done this and had a great, if not even enhanced experience from doing so. I would just recommend that you know yourself well and have a substantive conversation with the new roomie ahead of time. Good luck!

ShanMan · Answer

It can definitely be a good idea, but REALLY depends on the specifics of your situation and the personality of your roommate. I had a friend last year who was overwhelmed with transitions related to b-school as well as other things going on in her life. Her roommate was someone who was especially obsessed about school and had a way of bringing all of the drama of school back into the house, and she felt like she couldn't ever really rest. However, many of my other friends have done this and had a great, if not even enhanced experience from doing so. I would just recommend that you know yourself well and have a substantive conversation with the new roomie ahead of time. Good luck!

GMATify · Answer

Everything else the same I would prefer my classmate as my roommate. A few points in consideration:
1. If your classmate is your roommate you can have another person in your house to discuss your courses, clubs, activities - it is kinda difficult to keep track of all that is going on in the school with all the course load and assignments etc. If you tie up with some other student you may not have similar things going on to discuss such as job search, networking events etc. I am not saying that you will have no contact with other classmates outside your house but it helps to have your classmate as your roommate.

2. I have seen some of my classmates who boarded with non-classmates looking for a new roommate after a short while (not a very good planning, may be) since their current roommate had graduated or was going for study abroad. So timing wise you are more likely to not have to find a new person to stay with you if you are enrolled in the same program as your roommate.

Ultimately, I think it boils down to if you are comfortable with your roommate. If not courses may be other interests would match if your roommate is not your classmate, but it is difficult to find that out upfront.

RyanAustin · Answer

There's nothing wrong with having a classmate as a roommate at all, it can actually be a lot of fun! One thing I would recommend though could be to maybe go solo your first year and then room with a friend/s your second year that you know you will get along with. This was the route I took and I was really happy. There were a few guys that weren't all that happy with their first year roommates that they randomly found through the class distribution list and facebook group.

GMAT888 · Answer

From my experience, as long as you guys get along and have similar mentality/are from the same country/region it's a good idea.

bad side is when you want to throw up a party and he is studying it might create a bit of conflict of interest, but if you can reach a compromise, then give it a shot! Plus, you can study together for exams, which is also helpful.

josemol · Answer

Hi guys!

I had a roommate in my college that studied the same degree as me. We are very good friends, so in matters of roommate-living, there were no problems. College-wise, we were always supporting each other, making small study groups, and reminding ourselves about tests, deadlines, etc.

The only issue I would have in mind is about living with that person; being friends and being roommates is very different because you practically have to deal with your roomie's lifestyle.

:D

Is roommate with classmate a good idea?

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