One of the most important relationships of your freshman year is your relationship with your roommate. NYU’s random-rooming rule for first-years gives students the opportunity to diversify their social circles by living with a complete stranger for nine months. Unfortunately, harmonious pairings through this random process are not guaranteed.

For those roommates who just can’t seem to mesh, the Bed-for-Bed forum allows students in unhappy living situations to get in touch and switch rooms. However, each of these people joined the website due to issues with their roommates, so will switching rooms lead you to a solution or another unpleasant situation?

For LS freshman Rosemarie Cass, who was paired with an incompatible roommate, it was a risk worth taking.

“I was just really desperate to get out of there,” Cass said. “I just hated the room so much that I was willing to take the risk.”

The risk paid off for Cass. She and her first two roommates never managed to find their footing during the fall semester — scheduling and personal disagreements catalyzed the move.

“Originally, I wanted to switch rooms because our sleeping schedules didn’t sync,” Cass said. “But as the year progressed, we got into some really big arguments, and I really wanted to get out.”

Like Cass, Stern freshman Redden Thompson said that scheduling was a primary issue for his move. As a member of the university’s swim team, Thompson has a rigorous training schedule.

“If you request an athlete [as a roommate], you’ll get someone from another sport,” Thompson said. “Swimming’s schedule is totally different than the wrestling schedule.”

Thompson said that roommates are not always sympathetic to morning practices and early nights, so the conflicting sleep schedules elicited the worst in his particular roommate situation.

While this issue might seem important to resolve right away, NYU requires a three-week waiting period before students can utilize Bed-for-Bed.

According to Kate Baier, NYU’s Senior Director of Residential Life, this unpopular policy is meant for new students’ safety.

“The three-week period allows our office to confirm who has checked in, verify that students are in their assigned space and contact students who may have changed their plans and will not be attending NYU,” Baier said. “The residence hall staff is responsive to roommate conflicts and will work with students to improve their living situation.”

If you’re having issues with the people you are living with and you do not believe talking with them will work, consult your residence assistant.

Bauer said, “For students living on campus, living with a roommate is an important part of the university experience and teaches or refines skills that will be useful throughout life, such as communication, the ability to compromise, and exploring difference.”

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Feb. 13 print edition. Email Alyssa Kelly at [email protected].