[1kaaa]

so i'm having a little dilemma about choosing roomate for next year.

my school, a southern cal state, allows us to choose our own roommates, but
i'm not sure if i want to have roommates (4 in each room) who are asian
or other ethnicities.

my mom wants me to room with asians though. and even though i'd like
to befriend with other races, i've heard that you shouldn't or can't make
friends with your roommates.

do you have any advice what i should do? and this is urgent. i need to pick
my room by the end of this weekend. spots are filling up fast.

[mooo]

maybe you can have a mixture, since there's four to each room?

to me, it doesn't really matter of the ethnicities, as long as you can all get along, right? =)

[Kang1004]

Some people assume that because of the culture difference, it's too hard to live together. But as long as everyone is open where is the problem? Remember a friend told me that her roommate who was african started to listen to korean music after they lived together lol
don't be afraid to broaden your horizon and don't be afraid to try things lol
You might not get along with an asian but do with a white lol
But I guess most asians feel uncomfortable with whites...but if both sides are open, to learn about the other's culture is nice. :-)
but my opinion lol

[pekkles]

Personally, with more than one roommate, I would prefer at least one other Asian and not have preferences for the other two roommates. I know for a fact that I get along with Asians more easily and more quickly- I don't think it's a racism issue, it's just more comfortable on a cultural level, and living styles tend to be similar among Asians- but people of all ethnicities are fun and there are definitely things you can learn from them.

It's not that you can't or shouldn't make friends with your roommates, but it's hard on everyone if you choose to room with someone who's already your friend- not impossible, but it's not recommended. It's easier to befriend someone you're living with than to learn to live with someone you've known- or think you've known- for a while.

Either way, good luck with your rooming situation! I'm sure you'll be fine whatever you choose. The human race is kind in general

[Kang1004]

having an asian would probably make a good balance

[1kaaa]

thanks guys for the input!

[kOoHII]

pick asians if you are asian. the reason is that there are LOTS of cultural differences that will bug the hell out of you (i learned my lesson during my freshmen year). for instance...keeping the place clean, taking your shoes off on the carpet, sharing stuff, using headphones instead of blasting on the speakers while the both of you are studying...it's these little things that will make the biggest differences


race wouldn't be such a big problem if people were open minded but people are NOT open minded. they'll ask you to compromise in ways you may not want to (i.e. allowing the boyfriend to sleep over in the same room as you).

[cyberfruit]

I think you should room with people of other ethnicities. It's not the cultural differences that will bother you, it's the people themselves. Just because you have Asian roomates doesn't mean that their personalites will be like yours. That, and after the experience I'm sure you'll come out more culturally aware. I wouldn't imagine the people you end up living with wouldn't be interested in learning more about you and sharing interesting things about themselves.

And actually, the rule is that you should never room with your friends. Making friends with your roomates (aka people who you don't exactly know) is really what should want to do.

[dancingbymyself]

pick asians if you are asian. the reason is that there are LOTS of cultural differences that will bug the hell out of you (i learned my lesson during my freshmen year). for instance...keeping the place clean, taking your shoes off on the carpet, sharing stuff, using headphones instead of blasting on the speakers while the both of you are studying...it's these little things that will make the biggest differences


race wouldn't be such a big problem if people were open minded but people are NOT open minded. they'll ask you to compromise in ways you may not want to (i.e. allowing the boyfriend to sleep over in the same room as you).

Because only asians do these things. Noone else in the entire world does them, only asian. Everyone else is an inconsiderate jerk,

[aznboi1107]

you gotta have a token ethnicity, he/she can be a black/latino/white etc.

[Verest]

You're going to and already end up with people you like and don't like regardless of race.

Better getting used to it now than later and hey you may end up good friends. Stretch this even further, you'll be more accustomed to other cultures and you'll feel less awkward around other people like them.

But if you seem to have a pattern of getting along with a certain group, might as well while you have the option to pick.

[itrayya]

Some people assume that because of the culture difference, it's too hard to live together. But as long as everyone is open where is the problem?

^ agreed.

my first year, the school randomly gave me asians kids,
and to be honest, i was insulted like shiot.
because, i come from a diversed town,
and for the school to categorize me by my ethnicity, i was pissed.

but, i didnt get an asian roommate until my 2nd year.
and even in my 3rd year now,
i have black girl who's white inside, an indian girl who's awesome,
a taiwanese girl who's getting more ghetto everyday, and me.

our room is awesome.
cause we ARE OPEN MINDED so we get along great.

and it's TRUE!!!!
SOME asian people SHARE everything.
wear headphones.
cook smelly food that westerners aren't used to.

if you are an open minded and patient person, it'll work out fine for you.
see how it goes. you can always pick roommates for the 2nd year.
i wish the best for you.
good luck.
take care.

[kOoHII]

Because only asians do these things. Noone else in the entire world does them, only asian. Everyone else is an inconsiderate jerk,

because only asians are extremely sensitive to these issues...GENERALLY. geez if you really want to add that in. high schoolers need to stop saying "but not everyone is like that" crap if they ain't got the life experiences. taking off your shoes is not considered inconsiderate in the american culture, having a quiet room, etc. by the way is not inconsiderate in the typical american household but it is in the asian culture. it's these little things...

how many asians do you see blasting music on in your dorm rooms at 3am? oh wait, you've probably don't even know how the college culture is like do you? aww freshmens/high schoolers wanting to be college students...


do i really need to emphasize that i'm talking about the general situation?! you can go ahead, take chances, find an awesome non-asian room mate but if you want to play it safe, go with the stereotypes. there's a higher probability you'll find someone more compatible.

[kuku]

I had a white roommate freshman year. I moved out in 3 months. There was nothing in common and we had too many differences.

Also, the smell of the Asian food may be a turnoff for non-Asians lol.

[krit]

i also had a white roommate. I moved out in less than 3 weeks.

also, reading kOoHII's post reminded me of the smaller annoyances I had forgotten. Get someone from the east (asia is a pretty big place) or a background similar to yours, and preferably w/ sentiments around your own. It'll make it easier.

race wouldn't be such a big problem if people were open minded but people are NOT open minded. they'll ask you to compromise in ways you may not want to (i.e. allowing the boyfriend to sleep over in the same room as you).

completely true =.=

If you can, exchange correspondence w/ your potential roomies (whatever they are) and be blunt as possible. Ask your parents for possible questions too (I'm sure they can come up w/ a litany) just to make sure.
Are you ok with leaving the doors unlocked?
Do you mind a flurry of people walking in and out?
Do you mind shoes on the rugs?
Do you mind ur roomies or strangers sitting on your bed?
Do you like to share (clothes/ supplies/ food/ electronics)?
Do you want guys sleeping over (overnight/ or um, 'private time')?
Do you stay up late, get up early or both?
Do you have weird schedules (think prelims, papers, lab/studios, all-nighters, etc)?
Do you need absolute quiet when you sleep or study?
Would music be ok, and if so when?
Do they smoke?
Would they wash everyday? (hey, yea, you need to ask)
How often would the laundry get done?
Do they like tofu, rice, chilis? Do you like fast food (chicken wings, etc)? (if you guys share a fridge or you can expect food to be brought back to your room & lounge area - is that going to bother anyone?)
Have they traveled? (if you're from another country or even regularly visited overseas, it makes a big difference - you don't want to room w/ a bumpkin who's never been anywhere)
Do you drink (aka, they'll be coming back drunk a few times a week)? etc.

[Melitus]

OH MY GAWD,
I room with three white kids, and I felt as if that semester was a joke.
it was terrible, they partied, bring girls over, talk mini cooper behind my back, cause i didn't want to hang
around with these losers. You should see the amount of dish and crap. Overall I will never room
with annoying, white, dirty, potheads. Me and a friend might just get our own apartment and room
together. i hate it when people like "Two people can still room together even if their cultural background
are differnt) I was very open minded, but yet these people drives me insane.
here are my list of people I would room
Nerds
loners
foreign exchange students
asians
v
v
v
v
v
v
white frats heads...

[cyberfruit]

^ To be honest, I don't anyone who would want to room with frat boys other than other frat boys.

[sp4078]

Asians, I say

I don't have bad experience with other races, but you will stay under the same roof with them, it's the best if you can be comfortable at home. I agree that I do feel the differences in cultures are too big for me to adapt. Open-mind does not solve everything. Sth like, Asians like me think cheese stinks as hell, White thinks Asian foods smell like rotten food. Not to speak about culture background, you can have completely different opinions, don't get me wrong, I take criticism well and respect different opinions, but not to the point that I couldn't get head and tail of what she's saying.

I had a white roommate once, she was nice and all but just can't get along with her as well as the other Chinese roommate.

[drgnclwk]

from what I've seen in the dorms and my experience, it's pretty random when it comes to who is clean/messy/considerate/etc. there were some asian guys and girls who were soo freakin messy that I'd never want to room with them, but were still chill to hang out with and the same goes for some people of other ethnicities in my dorm. from now on I'd rather look for roommates who are considerate/fair and have similar living habits as I do. such as:

do they smoke indoors or only outdoors?
are they relatively clean, especially for shared areas (e.g. living room/kitchen/bathroom)?
will they take the initiative to clean or at least help clean the place?
do they respect your area&stuff?
to share or not to share the food?

as for rooming w/ friends, after I roomed with a HS friend my first year I realized he talked way too much mini cooper behind ppl's backs as well as being way judgemental. this year was totally chill with two roommmates, and the third was was nice and everything but pretty messy and they were all people I knew from the dorms. so you'll probably find out a lot more about your friends if you actually room with them, which could turn out good or bad...

[Aozora122]

just because your roommate is asian doesn't necessarily mean that they're gonna be the typical asians that are like super clean, quiet, and studious. i live in a quad so i have four roommates: one asian, one white, and one mexican, all of them chosen randomly. it's set up so there's two bedrooms with a study room in the middle.

my roommate is the asian one and he is a complete FRAT BOY. he's always out drinking, smoking, partying, going out and coming back late. for the most part he's ok i guess but there are times that he does things that really annoy me. at the beginning of the year he would steal water bottles from me and some of my food from the fridge when i went home and try to cover up the fact that he did it when we agreed that we would only share food if the other person agreed. he also never turns anything off and will leave the TV, his computer, and most annoying, the lights long after he is done with them. he always brings his wangster friends over too and they watch movies at like 11 pm when i'm trying to sleep. first quarter he lost his key TWICE so we had to get the lock on our door replaced, and even after my other roommate told him to pick up his new key, he didn't and was banging on the door at four in the morning to let him in. he has no common courtesy at all. he just left with a bunch of friends to go drinking and partying and now there's like a crapload of beer scattered about the room.

i actually get along with the mexican one the best. he's the most respectful of other people's things and he's a pretty nice guy. the white one just moved in this quarter and he's ok. he games a lot but he's pretty quiet. he's a lot better than my former white roommate who was always high on something and would never SHUT UP.

so yeah, mix it up a little. just because someone's asian doesn't mean that you guys will be all buddy-buddy and stuff. branch out and meet new people.