We’ve all heard the horror stories. From nude sleepers to those who cannot seem to control or identify their own body odor, roommates can potentially make or break a year for students living in the dorms.

It’s becoming more apparent how crucial these living arrangements can be, not only for students but for colleges and universities. Relationships fostered between roommates in college can have a significant impact on retention rates and grade point averages — positive and negative — based on individual experiences, according to recent studies by All Academic Inc., a research group that compiles data from scholar’s conferences worldwide.

That’s why some colleges are rethinking the roommate pairing process, or considering integrating one into their residence hall programs.

In an attempt to reduce the amount of roommate disasters in the dorms, a number of colleges are piggybacking off of social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, by purchasing their own versions for roommate selection.

RoommateClick and RoomBug have cropped up as leaders in the technological competition for university-based roommate pairing. Both sites allow students to list their personal preferences, such as sleeping habits, hobbies, and class schedules. Colleges and universities purchase these online matching services and provide them to incoming students. Each student opting to use RoommateClick at the University of Arizona pays an unsubsidized $20 fee.

Other schools have developed their own social networking sites. Georgetown University’s Campus Housing And Roommate Matching System is an optional matching program where students contact potential roommates based on their CHARMS profiles, which consists of a Living Preference Questionnaire. Those who do not locate a roommate this way are matched up by Georgetown’s hall directors based on the LPQ.

“I think Georgetown has a great system, because you can pick either method of finding a roommate,” said Sarah Balistreri, a sophomore at Georgetown. “I did CHARMS, and it worked out really well for me. I love my roommate, and I am living again with her this year.”

Though Marquette employs randomized roommate pairing through a computer program, not all students agree with the current procedure. Some want the university to revise it to match roommates based on compatibility. Meaghan Donohue, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, had a freshman experience with a random roommate that left her with bitter memories.

“I thought there was some form of roommate compatibility survey at Marquette,” Donohue said. “All the other colleges I looked at had them. Marquette should, too.”

In Donohue’s situation, the resentment began with a clash of personalities–a common cause of roommate conflict. While tension tends to originate from a contrast of shy and outgoing qualities between roommates, it can also derive from contrary interests and hobbies.

“I was louder than her,” Donohue said. “I come from a loud family. She was quieter and not as socially involved. She also hated when I stayed up late doing homework after work.”

Donohue said the situation could have been avoided with modified roommate placement procedures.

“Four or five other girls on my floor had to switch roommates last year,” Donohue said. “Living in a quad or with more than one person definitely will help the situation, but using a survey to match preferences would be more effective.”

Other students and officials disagree, arguing that the randomized pairing practiced by schools like Marquette allows students to broaden their horizons.

Local schools such as the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin–Madison also use arbitrary roommate pairing procedures similar to Marquette’s.

William Garland, a junior at UW-Madison, is supportive of his school’s process for selecting roommates.

“People need exposure to a more diverse world–that’s what college is about,” Garland said. “By choosing someone similar to you, you won’t get that. It’s beyond living arrangements. It’s learning to adapt to different people.”

Nonetheless, some differences are inconsolable. Megan Raasch, a former UW-Milwaukee student, had issues with her roommate’s personal hygiene.

“One day, I came back to the dorm to find her clipping her toenails on my bed,” Raasch said. “She didn’t even make an attempt to clean it up. That’s when I knew I had to switch roommates.”