Roommate's GPA Effect on Yours

The Sacerdote reading about the effects your college roommate can have on your social life and GPA was very interesting to consider since it is so pertinent to our lives as Northeastern students. Even if students are currently living alone, there is a very high likelihood that at some point, they lived with a roommate that was affecting the grades they earned, if they participated in Greek Life, etc.

One of the findings in the study looking at Dartmouth college showed that students were affected by a high performing roommate only if they were in the top 25% or bottom 25% on the academic spectrum. The middle 50% of students were not strongly influenced by a roommate that was getting very good grades. When I read this and when we discussed this topic in class, I could not stop thinking about possible reasons behind this, especially since as Honors students, we experienced being housed with other Honors students. One of the first possible reasons for these results that popped into my head was the simple competitiveness factor. As a group of students that clearly performed well in high school, I think most of the students in the Honors Program probably retain some level of competitiveness and a need to do just as well or better as their peers. Students in the top 25% of their class at Dartmouth probably fell into this category. As for the bottom 25% and why their high-performing roommates made them do better in school, I was thinking that maybe they had "poor" (a relative term... they're students at Dartmouth!) study habits or simply weren't dedicating the amount of time necessary to do well in their classes. So, getting a roommate who knows how to study, manages their time well, etc. may have served as an example of how they should be studying.

As for the middle 50%, it might be a general attitude issue as to why a high-performing roommate didn't affect their performance. They may not feel the same need as someone in the top 25% to "compete" with their roommate for a high GPA, because they feel it is somewhat unattainable or not worth the effort. But on the other hand, they're not on the bottom of the spectrum and might not feel as much of a need to change their study habits and "up" their game as much as someone in the bottom 25% with a high-performing roommate would.

I thought this issue was more interesting to examine than the other part of the study that found you are more likely to join a fraternity or sorority if your roommate does, because that seemed to follow more common sense logic to me. Especially during your freshman year, your roommate is one of the first people you form any sort of a bond with, whether you finish the year as close friends or not. If they consider participating in Greek life, go out to a party with a group of friends, etc., it seems pretty likely you will also do these things or at least consider them.