1. Look for common interests
Whether or not you plan on pursuing a friendship with your roommates, it is helpful to have some common interests. If you have similar interests, you're less likely to have problems down the line because in theory, he or she should be at least somewhat like yourself. If most or all of the CPs in your apartment generally like the same movies and TV shows, staying in and hanging out in the living room can be quite relaxing. If not, you might become very tired of what the others are watching very quickly. Having some common interests also means that you'll have someone to do certain things with, which can be especially helpful when you first arrive and are not able to get into the parks, and have not met a lot of other CPs yet. If your roommates also love shopping for instance, the Florida Mall might be something you can do together before you are able to meet more people on the program.
2. Discuss cleanliness
Regardless of your own cleaning habits, it is extremely important to have a discussion about cleanliness in your apartment with potential roommates prior to your arrival. Even if you consider yourself to be messy, you should be honest about this, and tell potential roommates-- I know it might sound crazy, but there are plenty of CPs who are messy, and who are perfectly content living with other messy CPs. You're better off being open about this than causing problems down the line with other roommates who had different expectations for the apartment. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you really prefer things to be clean and tidy, this point is even more important for you, because you probably don't want to live somewhere that's messy, or be cleaning up after other people. Of course, things happen, and the cleanliness level of your apartment may not turn out as you expected either way, but you can at least make an effort to find roommates you'd be more compatible with by discussing this issue in advance.
It's also important to note that during the DCP, your apartment is subject to inspections. Even if you consider the common areas to be fairly clean, and your bedroom and bathroom to be clean, but the other bedrooms and bathrooms in the apartment are dirty, there is potential for the entire apartment to fail. If you fail inspections, you'll need to have a re-inspection, and you'll be subject to fees, which are taken out of your paycheck. If this happens continually, there is even a chance that you can be termed from the program. I mention this because you might think that you're not going to be concerned about the other rooms in the apartment, but they can still get you into trouble-- which is why finding roommates who have the same standards in terms of cleanliness should be a priority.
3. Discuss food shopping
While you're getting to know your potential future roommates, you should also be discussing food shopping. Are you going to buy groceries together and split it? Or maybe you'll keep everything separate and write your name on what belongs to you? Whatever you decide, it's best to find roommates who will be on the same page from the beginning, so you don't end up buying food for five other people all the time, or finding your food in the trash or eaten.
4. Morning people vs. night owls
This point is slightly less important than the others on this list only because a lot of your sleep schedule on the program will come from your work location's hours, which you will really not have much say in. However, it is still helpful to know what a potential roommate who you'll be sharing a bedroom with prefers. If you go to bed early, would you be okay with someone coming into the room after a long night out at 2 AM? Sometimes this is unavoidable given the nature of the program, and you'll need to learn to live with it either way, but it's helpful to talk to potential roommates about this just to understand what their feelings are on being in and out of the room while someone is sleeping.
5. Use social media
If you don't have any options for roommates that you'll be able to meet in person, the best way to learn about someone is going to be through social media. By following people on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc... you'll really be able to understand their personalities and interests and determine whether or not they'd be a good fit for you. Google Hangouts and Face Time can also be helpful when meeting roommates from far away, as you can also learn a lot more about them from a face to face conversation.
6. Know the importance of financial stability
This point is something that I haven't seen mentioned in other roommate finding posts before, but I think it is really important to discuss. It can be uncomfortable discussing your financial situation with others, but I truly believe that if you're going to be living with someone for any period of time, it's important to talk about because you would want to know that they are financially responsible. It's no secret that you don't make tons of money on the college program, and you therefore probably would not want to constantly be spending it on someone else. This constant spending could even be happening indirectly-- a roommate who never seems to have money might frequently eat your food or use your shampoo, and say that he or she will replace it but they never do. Or they might just outright ask for money. Whether or not you help is definitely a personal decision on your end, but I would be worried about this kind of behavior becoming a habit. Unless your roommate happens to be your spouse, I don't feel that you should have any kind of financial obligation towards them. While you do not know everyone's financial situation, if you feel like a potential roommate might be showing signs of financial instability, you might want to think twice about living with them.
7. Follow your gut
The most important advice I can to anyone looking for roommates on the college program is to follow your instincts. If you're getting to know future roommates, and you have any inkling that it's not the best idea to live with them, then don't. I had one overwhelmingly positive roommate experience, and one negative apartment on my college programs. Looking back, I remember wondering if the second (negative) roommates I lived with was going to be the best idea. I had doubts, but I didn't know anyone else that I could have moved in with, and I felt bad telling those roommates that I didn't want to live with them anymore. After completing the program, and knowing what living in that apartment was like, I do wish I went with my gut and found other roommates (or even went random!) I don't mean to sound snarky about my second apartment, they all got along with each other, I was just not compatible with the rest of them, and that's totally fine-- but looking back my only regret was wishing I listened to my gut, instead of putting myself into that situation.
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Click here to read my article on the history of the Disney College Program on Theme Park Tourist!
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