The Impact of Roommate Separation on Academic Performance

The relationship between students and their roommates is closer than the relationship between students and professors or professors and administrators. While professors impact student's academic lives, roommates influence each other's lives on a deeply personal level. With such a personal, everyday relationship roommates can either promote or detract from each other's college experience. A roommate may end up being a lifelong friend or a stranger whose annoying habits must be endured for a semester. This research builds upon a previous roommate compatibility study by first expanding the years under consideration. Multiple years are compared to determine whether roommates stay together or separate in stable and predictable patterns. Additionally, this study goes beyond descriptive statistics by analyzing the impact of roommate separation. Students are divided into two groups: one where roommates stayed together for two full years and the other where roommates separated. Statistical tests reveal the impact of roommate separation on academic performance.