The semester is finally coming to an end and students at SF State can breath a sigh of relief as the weight of papers, projects and deadlines are lifted off their shoulders. But as summer approaches, students who have decided to stay in San Francisco during the summer are struggling to find new roommates.

The poor economy is a reality students have to face. Paying the bills and finding a job that fits the busy college schedule is bad enough, but finding ways to find the perfect roommate has become a challenge.

According to the Campus Explorer Web site, only six percent of SF State students live on campus. Since SF State isn't partnered with any other living facilities off campus, it gets harder for students to find cheap places to live and good people to room with.

"Everyone has tried Craigslist but I feel like it's so popular it's hard to trust," SF State student Tamara Liventown said. "I really just try and go by word of mouth and recently took the suggestion to write postings on my Myspace page because I feel like if I live with or get information through someone I know it will be a better living experience."

Liventown, 23, isn't the only one to find a new living situation through social networking sites. A number of people have been literally networking on sites such as Facebook and Myspace to find potential roommates for the summer and possibly next year.

"A lot of my coworkers and friends posted bulletins and it's worked out for them and that is when I suggested it to Tamara," SF State student Lynette Rodriguez, 20, said. "She is meeting up with a couple of my coworkers and classmates to see how the vibes flow."

Rodriguez, a communications major, came up to San Francisco from San Diego and lived in the dorms during her freshman year of college. She went back home the first two years but has decided to stick around because her boyfriend and her new friends are all here in the city.

"I work retail and although I work off commission times are tough and I don't make much," Rodriguez said. "My new life is here in San Francisco and I want to stick it out. My friend offered me a spare room in her house, the rent is so cheap and even though it's a tiny space I'm where I want to be."

Other students, like Mike Lozada -- who hasn't been lucky enough to get offered a room in someone's home -- have other options. The old-fashioned way of posting up fliers on campus has become another popular option for finding potential roommates.

"Last year I saw this funny bulletin on campus looking for a roommate, but they made it seem like it was an audition for a reality show," Lozada, 21, said. "It was obvious that they were looking for a roommate and not a cast member, but it was a cool approach and made me want to inquire."

A one-bedroom apartment in Park Merced by campus starts at $1,795 a month and a studio goes for about $1,850 a month. These prices sound incredibly high to students like Lozada, working for minimum wage trying to get through school.

Lozada said that since money is tight for him and most of his buddies, they are forced to pile into apartments or houses and share rooms. By making the atmosphere a lot lighter he took the same sort of approach when looking for his roommates.

"I think that if you use humor and show that living with other people doesn't have to be this scary nightmare it's easier to spot and find the 'normal' people to live with," Lozada explains. "I don't think there's a great way to trust that the roommate you choose isn't psycho but fun approaches that help you connect with a person quickly always help."

Although college kids can't find a full-proof method on how to find someone trustworthy and easy to live with, creative fliers bring out the need for more roommates in the city and during these tough times students just need to keep their eyes peeled for that perfect living situation.

Spencer Veasley, a landlord in Daly City, says that he gets a lot of SF State students renting in his complex.

"Daly City is a bit cheaper than San Francisco to live in but still close enough to the city, which is probably why I get so many SF State kids living here," Veasley explained. "My one-bedroom apartments go for about $1,050 and that is a whole hell of a lot less than the outrageous prices in the city."

Veasley, 55 said that summer time is when he gets a lot of inquiries for apartments and studios.

"I usually get like four kids trying to fit into a one-bedroom," he said. "As long as it's not a crazy amount of people and the rent gets paid I'm ok with what people need to do get by I was young once and remember what it was like struggling to make ends meet."