It can be difficult to find a college roommate, whether your online posts get lost in the crowded social media algorithm or BU’s housing website doesn’t provide the information you’re looking for.

One Reddit user, under the username BUowo, aims to make this search easier for BU students — and that’s just one of the services they provide online for the BU community. 

BUowo, who asked to remain anonymous, said they are a BU alum and current staff member who runs a website unaffiliated with the University to help students find direct swap matches. A direct swap means two students want to exchange their accommodations with each other.

“It’s a side project I picked up because I care about the BU community,” BUowo said. “I graduated from BU and I saw a need.”

BUowo said their website is a starting point for students to submit information for a direct swap. 

After confirming the student has a BU email address to prevent random internet users from being included, BUowo adds the students’ information, including their current housing and the location they are looking to swap into, to a Google spreadsheet that everyone who submitted the form can browse.

“It puts all the people who are interested in one spot,” BUowo said. “I had almost 350 people last year who were in this big database of people who want to swap.”

BU senior Jayden Chon helped BUowo with managing the housing website. 

Applicants also upload information about their rooms, giving a better sense of what living there is like for students who are looking for a room to swap into. 

“[The official BU housing website] is basically an application form … It’s very objective, it’s not subjective,” he said. 

Chon said when students make contact, check and find that a dorm is already swapped, they need to report back to the housing website so BUowo and their staff members can update the availability regularly.

BUowo said this website started as a student project when they realized BU didn’t have a consolidated system for students to find a direct swap during the summer. Instead, students were left to post on social media to find people to swap with.

BUowo started a trial version of the website in the summer of 2023. At the beginning, they only used email and texts to connect students, “but that ended up being too much.” As a result, they started building the website, which they’ve been using since the summer of 2024.

The website has also expanded to include resources beyond direct swap connections. 

Students browse all of BU’s housing options, complete with ratings for different characteristics of each building and data showing how many students in each housing selection assignment time are satisfied with their building.

BUowo also helps students on BU’s subreddit, creating threads where hundreds of students comment their registration number and preferred housing. BUowo then responds with feedback on how likely their choices are. 

They also created and now moderate a Discord channel for BU students, which has grown to over 1,000 users.

“Having informal ways to talk to current and past students, like on Reddit and on Discord, gives people the chance to get actual experiences instead of [professional opinions] from their academic advisors,” they said.

Due to the need for a large database, BUowo said for each housing area, they collected pictures from students, personal friends and a site called “rate my dorm.” They also use resources from BU, including floor plans.

“It’s collecting [information] from everywhere,” they said.

BU junior Amanda Brice said the data on the website has given her insight into community housing selection and narrowed down her expectations.

“It gives a better overview of what to expect,” she said. “I don’t think the BU website does a good job at telling students what housing will be available to them … It was easier to go in and know what our number would give us.” 

BUowo said they are continuing to add data and information to their website to make the housing process more transparent so students won’t have to “beg online, saying, ‘What am I going to get with this? What’s going to be available?’”

They also said it’s rewarding to see their work help people find housing that they wouldn’t have found without their website or Reddit thread.

“I’m still involved with the BU community, so I still care about the people here,” BUowo said. “All [schools] can work on making better resources for students, making things more accessible for students who don’t have the inside knowledge.”

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