I tried headphones/earbuds, and could never get through the night to wake up with earbuds still in my ears.
Do you wake easily (and would your roommates agree with your opinion on that?)
When I was younger, alarms didn't work well for me. I had to have clock or radio or phone on the other side of the room, so I had to get up and out of bed completely to turn the alarm off. If I did not do that, I would shut off alarm, and not wake up.
If you think you wake easily - have you tried using a lower volume for the alarm?