Finals are in the near future, but it’s hard to focus on flash cards with the thoughts of summer taking over my brain. Like many of my fellow collegians, the idea of leaving Chicago and going back home to Minnesota was just not as appealing as the idea of a summer in the Chi. So I’m staying right here in Chicago, doing some internship stuff and nannying in the evenings. Since it is the summer, I’m not going to be in on campus housing but rather in an apartment of my own for the first time! I am so excited about it that I could write a whole column just about the decor options for the balcony overlooking the street, but I’ll refrain in respect for your time. (If you do want to discuss balcony decor, just let me know…)

This whole apartment aspect is new to me, and my roommate for the summer just bailed for a month. Which brings me to the topic at hand: living with roommates of another gender – good idea or bad one?

One of my best guy friends is staying for the summer too, and he happens to need an apartment for a month. Being a sheltered Catholic high school girl, the idea of having a boy as a roommate is pretty radical to me. Not only will I be living with A boy, but this boy is one of my super good friends. AND also someone who liked me first semester, but just never happened to coincide with when I liked him later second semester.

Oh yeah, I also might have drunkenly hooked up with him once or twice… you know. I still can’t decide, but I am pretty certain that I only like him as a friend. But sometimes it is hard to tell… Which could potentially make living with him (mind you, sharing a room with him) a little interesting to say the least.

There are so many issues that could potentially be a problem. Nevermind the fact that I’ll be sharing a bathroom with him (thus exposing him to my less than feminine activities), what if I meet a boy and want to bring him home? Or if he brings a girl home? I have no idea how that would work. Oh yes I do: it would be awkward. Very awkward. I don’t think I would be okay with being sexiled from my own room by some random girl I don’t know. It’s different when you’re living with a girl, because you’re automatically on their side. I love my current roommate and want her to be happy, so I’m more than fine (actually, totally excited) with getting out of her way if that will help! But for this guy? Not so much.

And then there’s that whole issue with our history. Chances are, we’ll be having a drink or twenty over the course of our time together, which means there’s always the potential for something to happen between us. That could be a good thing… but it could also be so very bad.

But then again, it could be good. Or it could be a non-issue at all.

So what do you think?
Horrible idea?
Passable idea?
A great idea simply because it means someone to split the rent with if nothing else?

God, maybe thinking about final exams is a good idea. This whole conundrum is really hurting my brain.

Think the idea of living with a dude in that beloved, 2×4 box of a dorm room is out of the question? Think again! More and more schools (including Dartmouth, Cornell and Michigan…maybe they’re onto something?) are introducing gender-neutral housing which allows men and women to become roommates in dorms. I’ve always thought this should be an option because I have a lot of studly guy friends if we’re legal adults, we should be able to choose who we want to live with!

Most of the participating schools made the change because gay, bisexual and transgendered students felt more comfortable with an opposite-sex roommate, but they restricted the option to housing with “gay themes.” I applaud the universities for trying, but why not allow the same for the general population? Yes, I understand the obvious potential for sex, but does having a same-sex roommate prevent anyone from bringing someone else home to their twin-XL? I think not. Actually, I know not.

My group of friends is pretty mixed between guys and girls, and now that we’re upperclassmen and live off-campus, it seems totally normal for them to share houses. In fact, it seems quite splendid. But would it be quite the same to co-habitate with a manly man in that closet I used to affectionately consider my room? Read More »

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman, so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like a textbook throwdown!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

Two weeks into the semester and most of my friends are already sick enough of their new roommates to have practically moved in with their boyfriends. All this shuffle got me to wondering – wouldn’t it be easier if they could all just live with the boys the way they almost are now?

Turns out that I’m not the only one thinking along these lines. In fact, murmurs have been floating around for the last couple of years about some schools that are not only making their dorms coed, but their dorm rooms.

That’s right, mixed gender roomies. Read More »