Advice re dorm "lottery" from >= 2nd year ppl, please

<p>A group of CCS first-years are making plans for next year’s housing. All are in Pendola now. Several have Regents’ and are guaranteed housing “somewhere”. Input from anyone with the wisdom and experience of having been at UCSB into their second year or beyond would be <em>really</em> helpful.</p>

<li>The Lottery</li>
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<p>The official word says that rooms are assigned by a lottery. First-years, then others with room guarantees (anyone except Regents in that category?), then the unwashed masses. </p>

<p>Q1: Are those three groups awarded rooms sequentially so all the first-years are accommodated first, then the Regents, then the masses? Or mixed together so a second-year with a Regents’ might get his room preference ahead of a first-year? Or some other way?</p>

<p>Q2: What if you lose, i.e. want to live on campus but aren’t guaranteed, and don’t make the cut? IV landlords are busy signing contracts as we speak. Will there be only dregs and dungeons left by the time you find out?</p>

<p>Q3: What happens if you get a dorm room but find out (much later, presumably) that the place they put you is the pits? By that time even dregs and dungeons are filled, no?</p>

<p>Q3.5: If you have a room guarantee and your specified roommate-to-be does not, are you and he both dragged down to the bottom of the list? Similarly (3.6?) how do they hand out the chances for eight people who want a suite?</p>

<li>How big is the campus-housing pie?</li>
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<p>Q4: Is the second-years’ exodus to Party Paradise Apartments in IV so great that everyone who wants to stay behind is very likely to be given a decent dorm room? </p>

<p>Q4a: …even if the definition of a “decent dorm room” is university-owned apartments, or a suite in San Raph?</p>

<p>Thanks…</p>

<p>same im not too sure how the lottery works as well ..
also if i lose...can i live elsewhere other than IV, if so where would you recommend? ( i want to stay away from the party scene )</p>

<p>I can answer some of your questions (I am currently a second year)</p>

<p>Q1: ?
Q2: You should try to start looking now just in case, because by the time the lottery results come out, most, but not all good places are filled up. You may just have to look hard or be willing to compromise.
Q3: That is definitely possible! A girl from last year that I knew got stuck in a EXTREMELY HORRIBLE dorm situation for this year (through the lottery). She only found out about it in September, so she was completely stuck, as she had already paid and there are very slim pickings left in iv.
Q3.5: ? Not sure
Q3.6: They randomly assign each person a lotto number, and average them to get the lotto number for the group.
Q4: NO! There are NEVER enough spaces! So many people don't get anything!
Q4a: I am pretty sure the university-owned apartments don't count, but San Raf definitely does</p>