The freshman roommate can turn out to be a(n):

A. absolute nightmare
B. BFF
C. just a person you happen to share a tiny room with

Here are 4 ways to go about choosing your future freshman college roommate:

1. Blind
Rooming blind is for the adventurous. For those who yearn for the surprise and peril of the open sea! It’s also for anyone who is kind of apathetic about the whole thing.
Pro: You could be paired with someone who you wouldn’t meet otherwise and who could help expand your college world.
Con: You have no way of knowing what you’ll be getting in to.

2. A friend
Rooming with a friend is a risk, but not for risk-takers.
Pro: You’ll be living with someone you already know! Having a safety net could help you be more outgoing when making new friends.
Con: Moving from friends to college roommates is an underrated shift in the tectonic plates of friendship. You’ll suddenly be around each other 24/7.  You could risk changing the friendship you have.

3. A friend of a friend
The friend of a friend roommate strategy is the perfect smoothie made from the blind roommate situation and friend roommate situation.
Pro: You have a friend in common, so you know a mutual friend thinks you’re both pretty rad and probably won’t steal things.
Con: If you both have a lot of the same mutual friends, your social circle might not expand the way you wanted it to in college.

4. Facebook or social networking site
For the person who wants to control the roommate issue as much as they can without going through friends.
Pro: You can handpick your college roommate by sifting through different options to find the person that you think you’d get along with while dwelling together.
Con: You might not get what you thought you signed up for.

Do you have any advice or thoughts on choosing a freshman college roommate? Leave a comment!

Turns out, you can bring Sparky with you and still wake up in the morning with the morning paper delivered at your slippers–do college kids read newspapers?

Certain schools have dorms and programs with great pet amenities.  Here are the top 10 pet friendly colleges from US News and World Report:

1. MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology has 4, count ‘em, 4 cat-friendly residence halls.

2. Stephens College
Stephens College is like the college student’s pet mecca.  Searcy Hall allows students to keep all kinds of pets there and even offers a pet day care.

3. Washington and Jefferson College
This is exactly what Washington and Jefferson would’ve wanted, a dorm that permits cats, dogs that weigh less than 40 pounds, small birds, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, turtles, and fish.  That’s the American dream.

4. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame allows students to house non-carnivorous, freshwater fish in aquariums, as long as the tank does not exceed 30 gallons.  Your roommate will be glad he’s not sharing a room with a fish that might eat him.

5. Sweet Briar College
Seabiscuit can come with you to Sweet Briar College, as long as you’re in their special equestrian program.  But that’d kinda be like bringing your space shuttle to college if you’re not studying to be an astronaut.  Doesn’t make sense! Right?

6. Stetson University
There’s an entire dorm at Stetson that allows animals including, hamsters, small dogs and cats. There is even a dog park for dogs to find friends.  You’ll be socializing at college, your dog should, too!

7. Principia College
If you can fit it in an enclosed space-cage or tank-you can bring it along with you to Principia.

8. Lehigh University
Fish tanks are allowed at Lehigh. That’s that.

9. Eckerd College
Dogs are a huge part of Eckerd culture.  At one of their commencement ceremonies, a girl walked across the stage with her dog. Or maybe, the dog got a degree, too.

10. Case Western Reserve University
Case Western University approves of small, caged animals, such as bunnies or hamsters. Students in Greek life can even apply for a house “mascot,” such as a cat or dog, to live in fraternity and sorority homes.

What are the pet rules like at your college? Is having a pet friendly dorm important to you? Comment and share!