At the moment, single rooms are still the exception. But if the trend takes off, and future generations of American college students come to expect their own room, the four-year residential college experience might look quite different. What are the long-term consequences of getting rid of the college roommate? As annoying as roommates can be, don't they offer valuable lessons?

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that private rooms have changed and still are changing social aspects of college,” says Kiessling. “With a private room, it’s very easy to find yourself cut off from a social life. If you just go back to your room as soon as class is over, you’re never going to meet anyone new or have any experiences beyond those in the classroom.”

Many student development experts find the super singles trend worrisome. “Learning to interact effectively with others is a central element of success in adult life in both work and personal contexts,” says Marcia Baxter Magolda, a professor at Miami University in Ohio who conducted a 27-year longitudinal study on young adult development. Establishing an “inner voice,” she says, is necessary to function effectively in today’s complex world, where one must think critically, evaluate multiple perspectives, make ethical decisions, and balance one’s own needs with those of others. But such growth isn’t automatic; it requires interaction. “Having a roommate in a residence hall system, where the staff members assist students in navigating the complexity of relationships, would contribute to such growth.”

Many people who became lifelong friends with their roommate also find the private-room trend troubling. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” says Harry Frankenfeld, a 2001 graduate of Belmont University in Nashville who is now an audio engineer and videographer in Seattle. “Living in the dorms helped me, as an only child, connect and learn how to live with other people. I think I’m more balanced because of my friendship with my roommate. I had to learn to work through conflict, and learn how to celebrate someone else’s ‘wins.’”

Frankenfeld and his roommate stayed friends after college, kept in touch despite living thousands of miles away, and, like many college roommates, participated in each other’s weddings. They still talk about twice a month. He thinks students who never have a roommate will miss out, not only on the chance to build a lasting friendship, but also on a unique opportunity for personal growth. “Basically, I had to learn to be less self-centered and selfish. It’s helped in my marriage, in my work relationships, and in my relationships in general. Roommates are good for us.”

Indeed, academic studies show roommates can have positive effects on each other. For example, sociologist David R. Harris found in a 2002 American Sociological Review study that white students who were paired up with non-white roommates ended up more open-minded about race.