The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 41, No. 2 & Volume 42, No. 1 - 188

fer ﬂoor." Faris's comments reﬂect how challenging it is for these students to meet other
transfer students because they are "scattered
around campus" and do not live in a centralized location.
Students described a disconnection between
what they expected their living arrangements
to be and what they actually experienced.
Whether on campus or off, they wanted to ﬁnd
other transfer students to form lasting relationships with. When they did not have that same
experience at their transfer institution as they
had at the initial institution, they struggled to
build social connections.

Relationships: Loneliness and Connection
Another factor that inﬂuenced the participants' living experience was the disposition
of their roommate. For students in this study,
a roommate, whether on campus or off, had
the potential to provide a support system and
help them connect to campus resources. Participants described three different types of
roommate situations and how those relationships inﬂuenced their experience: living alone
with no roommate, being randomly assigned
a roommate, and living with someone they
already knew. Those with roommates recognized that this person could help to provide
connection, support, and a sense of community. The inﬂuence of the roommate relationship was evident, regardless of whether a
roommate was randomly assigned or selected.
In instances where there was little interaction or relationship between the student and
their roommate, the relationship felt isolating.
However, when the roommate embraced and
welcomed the student, they had a smoother
transition and were more likely to feel socially
connected to campus.
188

Students described a disconnection
between what they expected their
living arrangements to be and what
they actually experienced. Whether
on campus or off, they wanted
to ﬁnd other transfer students to
form lasting relationships with.
When they did not have that
same experience at their transfer
institution as they had at the initial
institution, they struggled to build
social connections.

Participants living alone either on or off
campus also noted feelings of isolation. Emily
described life in a residence hall single as
being "alone a lot" and "not interacting" with
people on her ﬂoor, a sentiment echoed by
others who lived alone. Faris, for example,
lived off campus by himself and found that
experience isolating, as compared to his previous years when he had a whole ﬂoor of students to socialize with: "[Here] I'm by myself
and it's like all right, I'm gonna walk away
from studying a little bit, but I'm by myself.
So it's just like sitting there waiting for me
to come back, you know." Students who lived
alone found it extremely challenging to meet
others and make friends.
The second type of roommate situation
was being randomly placed with a roommate.

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 41, No. 2 & Volume 42, No. 1

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