The internet is quite an amazing thing. So amazing indeed, that it has transformed into the ultimate matchmaker for the dating world. A growing amount of love stories and successful relationships owe their perfect pairing to online dating sites, such as eHarmony, Match.com, and even Tinder. Similarly, I accredit finding my college roommate (and soulmate) to a Facebook page.
The process of meeting her was weirdly similar to what I would imagine joining something like OkCupid to be, leading to my final conclusion: finding your roommate online is pretty much another version of online dating.
1. You might feel a little awkward. And a little intimated.
So you finally decided on where to go to college, and now you have to choose who you want to dorm with for your entire first year. But no pressure. You’ll only be living with them. In the same room. Sleeping next to them. Dressing in front of them. Ok, maybe a little bit of pressure. You could just get paired randomly and leave it up to chances, but then you run the risk of getting a psychopath roommate. You decide it’s best to avoid that if possible, so online you go. You may not know exactly what you’re doing and you may be doubting your chances of actually meeting anyone at all, but it’s worth a shot.
2. You stalk yourself to make sure your profile is acceptable.
Starting with your profile picture, you make sure it’s as updated as possible. You don’t want anyone thinking you still have bangs and braces. In fact, maybe it’s time to go back into the depths of your profile and delete all your embarrassing pictures. In other words, any lingering photos from your middle school years don’t stand a chance. You try putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, looking throughout your entire profile countless times and assuring yourself that you look approachable and normal enough.
3. You try to make yourself look cooler than you are.
Maybe you decide to post a little blurb about yourself, putting your best foot forward. You let people know of your hobbies and interests, trying to stand out amongst other candidates. You’re outdoorsy, right? I mean, most of the time you stay in your bed watching Netflix with your cat, but occasionally you step foot outside. You’ll add that you like to hike. Everyone likes hiking. Long walks on the beach too, because that’s not cliche at all. Perhaps you’ll even squeeze in a little joke. After all, you’re absolutely hilarious and you can’t deprive anyone of perfectly good humor. Hiding the fact that you’re a total slob, you define yourself as decently tidy and respectful of others’ space. That’ll do.
4. You stalk every single potential person, looking for the perfect mate.
And by “stalk”, I mean hardcore, CIA-level snooping. You have years and years of practice that began with your crush or significant other’s ex, so this is nothing new to you. There may be hundreds of people to choose from, but you’re not letting that stop you. You investigate their hometowns, similar interests, and even their vacation photo album from last summer. If any one thing seems to put up a red flag, they are no longer in the running. Tough break.
5. Your friends may get involved in the process too.
Because what are true friends if they don’t butt into your personal life? They spend hours offering up their blatant opinions of who the right match is for you, giving you advice for the right things to say when you’re at a loss for words.
6. One of you decides to make the first move.
It’s either you or them. All it takes is a little bit of courage to strike up a conversation and send the first message. It begins with an innocent, friendly set of basic Q&A back and forth—finding out each other’s major, background, etc. You make sure to ask even the basic questions that you already know the answers to in order to make it seem as if you didn’t look through their entire profile. Twice. More talking leads to an exchange of phone numbers or following each other on other social media accounts (yet another outlet to find out almost everything about them).
7. You’re quite the player—you’ve got to keep your options open.
You’re talking to more than one person at once. You may even start to feel guilty that you’re leading all these people on. After all, you can only be one person’s roommate. But looking at the overall picture, talking to as many people as possible is the best choice. You have to connect with a lot of different ones to find the right one.
8. Facing the elephant in the room.
Here it is. You both know why you’re even talking in the first place, and now it just has to be brought up. Is there a mutual interest to actually pursue each other offline? You may face denial and you may be the one to deny, but each rejection leads you one step closer to your roommate.
9. Your first meeting.
You’ve talked online before, perhaps even over the phone. You’ve seen tons of this person’s pictures before. But nothing can you prepare for your first meeting face-to-face. It’s nerve-racking and exciting all at the same time, and all you can do is hope for the best.
10. Falling in love.
Once you finally move in together, if all goes well, you can’t wipe the smile off your face. You’re living with your best friend, creating memories constantly and enjoying all the little moments together.
I know this may not be the same story for everyone, but in cases like mine, I’m so glad I found my roommate online. We remained inseparable for our entire freshman year and are rooming together this upcoming year. Looking back on the entire process, I definitely felt like I was dating online. But through all of it, I met someone who I absolutely adore, and it all began with a click of a button.
