Meet my new roommate, Lucifer

Almost everyone has a roommate horror story to tell, from the total slob to the overly popular, friendly types who bring home a different "friend" every night.

ECU has an archaic pattern of pairing roommates: unless you specifically request a certain person to be your roomie, you're going to be stuck with a random person, regardless of compatibility.

When I moved into my first dorm, the only information I got about the person I was going to be living in close quarters with was her name, phone number and home address. Facebook helped me discern the rest.

I got lucky with my roommate that semester -- we were rarely in the room at the same time and she moved out shortly into the semester. After her departure, I tried every method possible to prevent getting another roommate. When a prospective roommate would knock on the door, I would think of ways to discourage them from moving in.

However, I did spend a lot of time in my close friend's room, where she had what could only be considered the epitome of a roommate from hell.

She had a voluntarily-untreated case of bipolar disorder. And while the lack of treatment was her choice, it negatively impacted my friend, who had to ride the waves of highs and lows, all with a complete stranger.

If her roommate had an extreme low, my friend was stuck living in the atmosphere of depression. Or if the roommate suddenly got very angry, guess who was nearby to lash out at?

She would later rant to me about how she wished in the stark e-mail from campus living it had somewhere said that her roommate had a condition that could challenge her living situation.

This, I feel, is a good point. While I do not feel like any discrimination is necessary, a nice heads up would have been useful. The option to get another room or prepare yourself for a special-needs roommate would be optimal.

I do not feel like a person should find out about a roommate with something such as bipolar disorder, slight autism or any number of things, the day they move in together.

Even a simple roommate survey would eliminate some of the tension that people feel with a mismatched roommate.

The survey could be done on OneStop, just like the Student Opinion of Instruction Survey. It would take minimal time and would eliminate the drama and hassle of having a complete opposite living less than 10 feet away from you. Simple facts, like how tidy or messy a person is or how much time they spend watching television, could encourage a stronger bond.

I, for instance, don't watch television and tend to go overboard with the air fresheners. For someone who likes to listen to the TV as they study and leave their clothes on the ground for days, I would be a terror to live with. I would also be unhappy with my randomly selected roommate, who has no similar interests or habits.

When I moved off campus, the roommate survey that I filled out took me all of 10 minutes, because it was a personal assessment. Simple questions about how much I clean, if I party or if I cook were all then matched to a person with similar or identical answers.

I now have a nearly perfect roommate, who moved in with her own half gallon bottle of Febreeze. It's a match made in heaven.

I can't say the same for those people that just moved into the dorms and discovered they have their complete opposite as a roommate.

This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.