Hello all,
There is a good chance that I will attend Texas A&M in the fall. From experience, what dorm halls are recommended? I will most likely not apply for housing until I hear back from UT Austin (end of February) so if I am not able to reserve housing on campus, what off campus housing options are recommended? I will be majoring in Engineering.
Thanks in advance,
Deluxan
@deluxan I am in the same boat as yours. Check out this thread http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/texas-m-university/1956694-what-dorm-is-good-for-freshmen.html#latest
Here is a link that was started way back and has some info about what you need to do http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/texas-m-university/1923296-freshman-on-campus-housing-class-2021-p1.html
To be guarenteed freshman housing on campus, you have 30 days to apply for housing from the day you were admitted. If waiting for UT decision, which may be another 3 weeks if they go by the past two years schedule, then that may be too late for guaranteed A&M on campus housing. You can go ahead and apply for A&M housing, pay the $50 applcation fee (which is not refundable) and the $300 housing fee (which is refundable), then you will be in the system. Room assignments are based largely on priority date – which is defined as the date the housing application, including fee, is received
If you get accepted to UT, then you can cancel your housing at A&M and be refunded the $300 and refuse your admissions decision.
A lot of applicant choose their dorms by cost first. The different types of dorms vary in cost per semester. Choose which type fits your budget. The Commons has just undergone a two year restoration and will feature its own dining hall and convenience store. Mosher Hall is the Living Learning Community LLC in the Commoms. It is on South Campus and closer to engineering buildings but your first year classes will be all over the place.
A lot of applicants also like the Modual Halls. I have read that Walton will become co-ed and only Freshmen next year.
When housing assigns you a hall, they also look at pricing and will only put you at or below the price point you select on your forms. Pricing is done by a combination of room size AND popularity. Modular rooms are much bigger than the Commons but are in the same pricing group. Walton has some of the oldest housing on campus, there are dorms here that your grandparents or great grandparents would have lived in (circa 1920’s-1960’s), your parents era were modular & the Commons (built in the 80’s), the newest ones are Hullabaloo & the apartments built after 2013. Walton use to be known for the group that builds the stack for bonfire, called bonfire crew. That was the key to its popularity, it has been recently renovated though but there will be lots of displaced bonfire people next year.
@deluxan Since A&M switched to a new housing software last September, called StarRez, it appears you not only will get to choose your dorm (subject to availability) you will also get to choose the open room you want. This is the same format as my elder two who attend other colleges. Up to last year, an applicant would chose up to 5 dorms/room types in order of preference and A&M would place you in one of your choices, subject to availability, and assign your room.
You can read more about it here as well as logging in to the housing portal. https://reslife.tamu.edu/tamu-launches-new-self-service-portal-for-housing-applicants/