Randomly assigned roommmates may soon become a thing of the past. These days, more and more students are selecting their own roommates — with a little help from online sites. For instance, there’s RoomBug, which “empowers students to do their own roommate matching online by harnessing the power of Facebook,” according to its Website.

The site lets students view prospective roommates’ Facebook profiles, which includes such lifestyle preferences as how neat they are, when they like to go to bed, etc.

Students find their match online — all before they ever have to set foot on campus.

“Your roommate. Your choice,” RoomBug’s video tells viewers.

RoomBug is currently used at the University of Florida, Emory University, Temple University, Wichita State University and William Paterson University.

To many, it makes perfect sense.

“We decided that rather than continue to fight against the social media that is so much a part of our students’ lives, we need to get engaged in that social media, “University of Florida Associate Housing Director TJ Logan tells The Wall Street Journal.

Similar sites include URoomSurf and RoommateClick, which serves nearly 25 colleges including Rutgers, Tulane and Mount Ida.

Laura DeVeau, Residence Life Director for Mount Ida, told National Public Radio, “It narrows down the functionality of Facebook in terms of networking. For this particular generation, they feel more comfortable because they’ve connected online.”

Still, not everyone agrees the trend is a good one.

Critics say being randomly assigned to a roommate should be part of the “college experience,” where students are forced to grow, adjust and compromise.

Learning how to get along with different people — and not necessarily students with whom you have any common ground –  is a valuable lesson, they argue.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tags: facebook, RoomBug, RoommateClick, URoomSurf