a little rooming help?

<p>All right, I know there are a number of housing threads here, but I have a couple of specific questions I didn't know where to stick.</p>

<p>First of all, if I'm taking a gap year, when do I apply for housing? I haven't seen a clear answer anywhere, and I didn't want my paperwork to get lost in the shuffle of the Class of 2014 if I'm going to be '15. </p>

<p>Now, as for specific dorms, I was wondering if there were current students who could help with a couple of things. Like, does South Campus do singles for first-years? I saw in one place that freshmen only get doubles/apartments, but nowhere else. Also, how do you rate the privacy between Blackstone, Breck, South Campus, BJ, and Snitchcock? My top priority is a single, but the only dorm with private bathrooms of these five is Blackstone. Was it terrible having a shared shower? And, of these, which shared bathrooms are single-sex and which are co-ed?</p>

<p>I really want Snitchcock or BJ as my top choices, but I'm wavering for my third. What are the personality differences between Black, Breck, and South?</p>

<p>Thanks for any help!</p>

<p>

Never happens. Singles in South Campus are only for upperclassmen. As are apartments. Freshmen in SCRH are all placed in doubles.</p>

<p>These are senseless stereotypes, mind you. I live in BJ.</p>

<p>south: very sociable, enjoys partying, likely a premed or econ major
breck: either a little strange, or very strange, enjoys their space, doesn’t mind walk, wants strong house culture and enthusiasm for tradition
black: mature, enjoys their space, doesn’t mind the walk</p>

<p>So why propagate stereotypes that you think are senseless?</p>

<p>Broadview is almost completely singles with private bathrooms, btw.</p>

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</p>

<p>This is completely untrue. There are plenty of current first-years in singles in South Campus. I don’t know how it will be next year, or if all the singles have now been snatched up by returning students. But there’s probably a possibility of first-years getting singles.</p>

<p>A shared shower is only weird for two days. After that, it becomes a completely normal way of life.</p>

<p>The single-sex or co-ed bathroom thing varies a lot, even within residence halls. My house has only co-ed bathrooms, but there are some that have only single-sex bathrooms, and some that have a mix. Again, co-ed bathrooms are only weird for two days.</p>

<p>^ I appear to be mistaken then. I got my answer from the SCRH [housing</a> page](<a href=“http://housing.uchicago.edu/undergraduate_housing/south_campus.shtml]housing”>http://housing.uchicago.edu/undergraduate_housing/south_campus.shtml) where it says: </p>

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</p>

<p>I got my answer (that first years get singles in south campus) from two first years who have singles in south campus. Which do you think is more accurate?</p>

<p>I narrowed it down to these five because of the kosher meals–they’re only available in Bartlett or South Campus Dining Halls, so I was looking at the dorms closest to those. Besides, don’t you have to eat at your House table during O-Week?</p>

<p>

I saw the same thing on the housing page, but then I heard that there were freshmen in singles. Are they changing the policy next year or something?</p>

<p>

What does “mature” mean? And how long does the walk end up being? I saw varying descriptions of length, anywhere from seven minutes to twenty? Is it really bad in the winter?</p>

<p>

Do the shared showers feel shared? Like, is the bathroom usually empty, or do you run into naked classmates all the time? </p>

<p>Which houses have single-sex bathrooms, then? I haven’t been able to find this information anywhere…</p>

<p>Thanks for all your help, everyone.</p>

<p>I’ve had the same concern about bathrooms. Houses with single-sex floors (noted, I think, in the Housing Guide booklet) will have single-sex bathrooms.</p>

<p>Co-ed bathrooms aren’t nearly as bad as they sound. I live in BJ, so I’ve had to deal with them all year. Since there are so few people on a floor (8-10 or something like that), there’s almost never more than one person in the bathroom at the same time anyway. As for encounter naked floormates; unless your floormates are comfortable walking to the shower naked (doubtful), that’s not a problem. There are curtains. And social expectations. (“And you’ll live”, adds my friend reading over my shoulder.)</p>

<p>According to the woman from housing who spoke at the admitted student event we attended, all the bathrooms start out single sex and may become coed only if no one involved objects. She also said that objections could be raised anonymously.</p>

<p>^That is correct. At the end of O-Week, the houses take a vote on co-ed vs. single sex bathrooms. Typically, the majority of students will be fine with co-ed bathrooms. If someone wants a single-sex bathroom, whatever sex that person is will have one bathroom to itself somewhere in the house. Even if people object, at least in BJ, most of the bathrooms remain co-ed with the exception of one or two single-sex ones.</p>

<p>Oh, that clarifies things. I didn’t see that info on any official site. Thank you.</p>

<p>If I don’t plan on going home over Thanksgiving, should I go ahead and bump South Campus up on my list? It’s currently 1. Max P 2. BJ 3. SC.</p>

<p>EDIT: I ask because, as far as I can tell, one can’t stay in the other dorms over a break? Or is that just over between-term breaks?</p>

<p>Thanksgiving doesn’t count as a break, that only applies to between quarter breaks.</p>

<p>Ah, thanks for that.</p>

<p>How’re the walks from the respective houses? Is it long from Black and Breck to Bartlett? (Wow, way too many Bs. :]) From South to main campus?</p>

<p>Blackstone -> Bartlett, probably 10-15 minutes.
Breck -> South Campus Dining Hall (its assigned dining hall), 10 minutes
South Campus -> Quad, 3-5 minutes</p>

<p>^ How long does it take to walk between the farthest two points on the main campus (so not South, BJ, Maclean, etc)? Is it likely that your class schedule would require this or something similar?</p>