Living Alone vs. Roommates

[culitigator]

Hi everyone, 

I know this is very much a personal preference. But I am wondering what people think about living with people they have never met, what living situations most 1L students have, etc. I was originally planning on living alone for 1L, however the thought of being on my own in a new city while taking online classes kind of freaks me out. Any thoughts would be much appreciated! 

[LMP]

I personally avoid roommates as I've never had a positive roommate experience. I've had neutral ones, but that's about it. 

If in your case the concern is less fiscal and more social, I wouldn't fret too much, you'll be able to hang out with the other students who have moved for 1L, even if you don't live with any.

[Phaedrus]

I'm with @LMP, a lot of roommate situations end up turning sour. I've had one positive roommate experience, which was in part due to the fact that we were both in our mid/late 20s, career-oriented, and wanted the apartment to be a quiet place to retreat to after work (and not for parties, drinking, smoking, etc.). Plenty of my colleagues in law school roomed together, especially those who were from different provinces, and it worked out fine. The upside of 1L is that everyone more or less has the same schedule, meaning crunch time will start and end together.

You'll want to consider the kind of experience you expect when classes return to in-person, and what the potential roommate wants. Some of my colleagues rented what was essentially a law school frat house, others want dead quiet study retreats. And don't lie about it, please. Nothing will ruin your living arrangement faster than you or your roommate discovering the other lied about the kind of lifestyle they want to have at the place you're renting. As for what the arrangements tend to look like: most roommates find a multi-bedroom + den apartment (or townhouse) that's within walking distance of the law school or downtown area). Obviously, you'll finder cheaper units farther away, but it comes at the cost of transportation and potentially missing out on after class activities. 

I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about having no socialization in 1L. I suspect in-person learning will be the norm as vaccination rates continue to increase, and most student law societies hold a ton of orientation events, mixers, networking events (and they're acutely aware of how much lockdown learning sucks). 

[luckycharm]

I had some bad experiences with roommates during my first year in undergrad so I stay alone since then.  

[Skier41]

Unless you know your roommates VERY WELL, I would advise against it. I knew my roommates somewhat before moving in with them and I still got stuck with multiple late utility bills totalling over $1000. Roommates (generally) suck. 

[Schooliscool]

While the person is important, I personally thing the room/apartment itself is more important. A 2 bedroom 2 bath with a large living room space and kitchen will be a lot easier to live in when one needs their own personal space than having to share a one bedroom/one bath with one person in the living room. I'd advise to find the perfect apartment for your needs (ex. if you know you're going to spend all the study time at home, a small room should be suffice whereas if you're a study at home kinda person, you're going to want some extra room with some privacy), and then go from there. Finding the place first will make it easier to find the right person, cause then the price range is already set

[QueensDenning]

Im generally good at dealing with people, and am pretty confrontational, but have had roommates since undergrad and never found it to be an issue. It's nice to save a few hundred a month and have extra living space that comes with a 2/3 bedroom. But if money was no concern, 1 bedroom would def be the way to go! 

[CheeseToast]

Y’all must be doin real well to be living alone with no roommates.

[CleanHands]

3 minutes ago, CheeseToast said:

Y’all must be doin real well to be living alone with no roommates.

I spent more money from my line of credit while in law school to avoid living with roommates. It would be well worth it even if more expensive in the end, but I also had a similar experience to @Skier41's above, whereby in undergrad I ended up on the hook for significant cleaning and repair bills as the result of the actions of a terrible roommate I did not know beforehand. That period of time was very stressful, I was not able to relax and unwind or focus on studies/work in my own home and always had to be on my toes and ready for confrontation, and it ended up not actually saving me money compared with living alone.

[GGrievous]

I feel like television has perpetuated this idea that roommates become your best buddies, and you have all kinds of wacky times together and become lifelong friends. When in reality, I have heard way more horror stories than positive stories. As someone else mentioned, I wouldn't do it to make friends, it's just not worth the risk of it not working out and then being committed to that person while taking on a mentally draining endeavour. 

Edited June 24, 2021 by Barry

[goodisgood]

First year is going to be hard enough without random roommate drama. Echoing others I'd rather take on some debt to avoid that. I believe the dividends of having a quiet space to return to for you and you alone will ultimately produce better dividends in the long term in terms of grades and thus opportunities vs. a bit of short term savings by having a roommate or multiple roommates. 

[SoIWantToBeALawyer]

I’m an incoming 1L and decided to take on the extra debt to live alone. I really just didn’t want to deal with the extra stress a roommate might bring especially since I don’t know anyone at my school so it would be a stranger. I figure if I meet a few people who I get along with well enough to want to live together then I’ll move after 1L. It also depends on how you like your living area, I tend to study at home so I want a quiet space where I can be comfortable. 

[Eatable Bran]

Hopping in to be the contrarian here - I would try to find a roommate(s). But only one or two. Law school online was extremely isolating, and the only reprieve was having a good friend in my small group, who also lived alone, come over and study with me.  I also know anecdotally that several students in my class lived with other law students and ended up being best friends.

There are pitfalls for sure though. I would meet (at least virtually) anyone you are considering living with, before committing to finding a place together. Ultimately, it's a one-year lease, so there's an easy out if it's not working for you. I think that risk-wise, the benefits of a law school roommate outweigh the possible negatives. You have to do your own risk analysis though, and decide what's best for you. 

Things to consider are: How introverted/extraverted are each of you?; What is your approach to law school? (keeners tend to stress me out); How often do you hang out at home?; What is your ideal guest policy?; Are you both tidy?; How do you intend to communicate about disagreements?; etc. 

[Civil2Common]

On 6/28/2021 at 4:55 PM, Eatable Bran said:

Hopping in to be the contrarian here - I would try to find a roommate(s). But only one or two. Law school online was extremely isolating, and the only reprieve was having a good friend in my small group, who also lived alone, come over and study with me.  I also know anecdotally that several students in my class lived with other law students and ended up being best friends.

There are pitfalls for sure though. I would meet (at least virtually) anyone you are considering living with, before committing to finding a place together. Ultimately, it's a one-year lease, so there's an easy out if it's not working for you. I think that risk-wise, the benefits of a law school roommate outweigh the possible negatives. You have to do your own risk analysis though, and decide what's best for you. 

Things to consider are: How introverted/extraverted are each of you?; What is your approach to law school? (keeners tend to stress me out); How often do you hang out at home?; What is your ideal guest policy?; Are you both tidy?; How do you intend to communicate about disagreements?; etc. 

I will echo Eatable's sentiment here. No doubt you can get stuck with a crappy roommate. That being said, I think many, if not most, law students have matured enough from the undergrad days to communicate what kind of person they are looking to live with. Moreover, it is not most students "first time away from home" either.

Personally, I had a great roommate during my JD. He was clean, respectful and we got along perfectly fine. We shared a few of the same classes so it was also nice to vent to someone about assignments or discuss some of the readings as well. I admit I got lucky since I never met the person before we moved in, but I am certainly happy about the experience.

As Eatable says, I think that if you clearly lay out what kind of person you are/your dealbreakers, things should hopefully be fine. And it doesn't hurt if you have a roommate who is also a law student (i.e. I wouldn't recommend having first year undergrads, if it can be avoided).