Roommates for 1st Year of Medical School

[ScienceNerd101]

Hey Guys! I'm curious of your thoughts on having roommates for the first year of medical school. From what I've read, it seems people fall into two school school of thought:

1) Yes get a roommate! Not having one gets lonely etc and the cost of housing is cheaper. Also meeting people is easier with roommates.
-or-
2) No, don't get a roommate! You will have enough activity during the day and it's nice to have peace and quiet. You will still feel part of the campus even without one etc.

My Background: I've lived with the same roommate for the last four years of undergrad. I'm pretty easy to get along with, so I don't see myself being in any conflicts with roommates etc. However, I have heard that not having a roommate in medical school can be socially detrimental. Yet, I've heard compelling reasons for living alone as well. What are your experiences with this issue? Thanks!

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[JW2020]

Your experience socially will be what you make of it. Having a roomate in theory makes it easier to meet people, but this also depends on your roomate and how outgoing they are. Personally, I worry about taking a chance on someone that I barely know (or don't know at all), as this could be a huge detriment to your happiness for the duration of the lease. For me, it's worth the extra money to not take this risk. I still plan on meeting people through clubs/intramural sports, etc in addition to classes (if I decide not to stream, which will be a gametime decision). Also, if you have any visitors over the year you won't have to clear them with a grumpy roomate.

 

[UTsksk]

One of the better reasons for having a roommate besides the social factor is that you all together can afford a place closer to campus without breaking the bank. I've seen classmates hit and miss with roommates and all you do is find someone else during second year or just live by yourself. Plus, an easy way to avoid your roommate if you all aren't getting along is just study in the library.

 

[AM508]

I like peace and quiet and sometimes prefer to study at home. There are enough unknowns about the whole starting med school thing (moving to a different part of the country alone, starting the academics etc...) that I did not want to add another unknown variable to the equation. So it would was choice #2 for me.

 

[Mr Kenobi]

Third school of thought:

3) You will hate everyone in 6 months.