04/06/2012:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
Schools should allow students to choose a roommate to live with by themselves.
Brain storming:
Respect students’ freedom and right
Avoid conflict
Foster cross-culture understanding
Same interest, hobbies, lifestyle
Helping each other, understand each other
Hi Mr. Luschen! Please help me check this essay! Thanks in advance!
Essay:
Being an international student when studying overseas is one of the most meaningful and unforgettable periods of time in a person’s life. During two to four years studying abroad, he or she might live in dorms for the first one or two years and spend the rest of the time living outside the main campus. Hence, there would be cases in which he or she has to share his or her own room with another guy or girl assigned by his school if he decides to live in a dorm on the main campus. In my opinion, the school should allow him to choose a roommate to live with upon the time he arrives at a new living place because it would show the respect of the school to his freedom and right, help him avoid unexpected conflicts, and make his life easier and more comfortable.
To begin with, by letting a student choose his own roommate, the school is showing their respect to his right and freedom. It would be injustice if the school forces him to live with a totally strange man from other country without consulting him before. According to the freedom of speak, every student has his own right to speak and tell they school what he really wants including choosing a roommate which is proved to be a very important factor contributing to the success of his student life. Furthermore, students are the most important factor of a school. Hence, failing to meet students’ needs and expectations is the biggest failure that the school should avoid at any cost.
Secondly, allowing a student to pick a companion to live with means helping him avoid unexpected conflicts happening later in life. It is undeniable that everyone has his or her own characteristics and lifestyle. Thus, two people with two opposite characteristics and lifestyle would not get along with each other comfortably, not to mention arguments, incompatible situations, or even fighting resulting from randomly assigned roommate policy. For example, a hard-working student who is neat and organized and always wants to study in a quiet place would find it hard to bear a noisy, messy, and party-oriented one. Sooner or later, he will find a way to rebel if the conflicts that he has been facing exceed his personal limitation.
Finally, life would become much easier and more comfortable for students if they can live with a person they want. Choosing a friend who has the same interests, hobbies, and lifestyles, they can decrease the pressure of school works by helping each other in studying new things. They also can have more chances to pour out their innermost feelings whenever they want, helping them relieve stress easily. Moreover, an understanding and considerate roommate is very helpful and necessary for them when they are sick or get into troubles. Life would become much more meaningful for them if they can share happiness and sadness with people they love and respect.
In conclusion, students should have the right to choose their own roommate, and the school should always create good conditions for making their dream come true. In doing so, the school is investing in their future fortunes and reputations, creating a better life for students where there are no longer conflicts or rebellions but a meaningful and enjoyable life.
TOEFL listening discussions: A conversation between a student and a university advisor