{shortcode-a7fc31c5458f88fca1027248f1977876a9aafe7b} First-years: it’s been over a month since you first met the perfect stranger(s) Harvard promised you’d get along with. Maybe you immediately clicked, or maybe their ability to live in filth and inability to replace the toilet paper in your in-suite bathroom have pushed you to consider transferring to Yale. Either way, it’s important to check in on how your roomie connection is doing. Here’s a list of questions you can ask to test how well you know each other. It’s like 36 Questions That Lead to Love, except the goal doesn’t have to be love, just mutual tolerance. So grab some popcorn and promise me that you’ll still “live well together” no matter how badly this goes.
1. What classes are they taking this semester?
2. What is a spot around campus where you can usually find them?
3. What is one of their favorite books or movies?
4. What is their biggest pet peeve?
5. What is something they are afraid of?
6. Have they ever been in a relationship?
7. Do they have a pet back home?
8. What is the name of at least one member of their family?
9. What is their go-to 3 a.m. snack?
10. Have they ever borrowed anything from you without asking?
If you know the answers to at least eight of these, you’re basically soulmates. You’ve clearly had the late-night roommate talk and are totally qualified to respond to their texts for them.
If you got at least five, you guys probably spend a good amount of time hanging out. Try to get in some wholesome roomie bonding this long weekend, and you might learn some new things about your roommate that you wouldn’t expect.
If you got less than five, maybe the fact that you wake up when your roommate stumbles home from Lamont every morning has really gotten in the way of your bonding time. Or maybe between their Math 55 psets and facetime convos with their dog, you just haven’t had the chance to show them your favorite TikTok. You’re both busy, but it’s not too late! Your roommate is (literally) your closest friend on campus, so coordinate your dhall takeout and talk about yourselves. Or your psets. Just as long as you’re talking to each other.