You might want to ask this question on the EA2023 thread - see what the experience might have been for someone last year that was in a similar spot.
Correct. The housing portal opens first for the âHigh Performersâ and first accepted. 2 years ago it was about a week prior to the second round of acceptances going out. AU is going out of its way to ensure top performers, especially from OOS choose AU, and hence boost their numbers. I have remarked on previous posts what AU has been accomplishing since right before covid in regard to achieving âelite statusâ as a University.
Can anyone provide insight on the Honors College, taken tours, etc.? Is it worth the effort to apply?
I have this question too, my daughter got invited today. We are OOS.
First accepted, yes. Are you saying high stat kids donât apply in the later rounds?
100% agree that Auburn rewards kids that Auburn is their first choice, apply early and commit early. Iâm not sure I agree that this is what makes an âeliteâ university though.
As a parent the whole dynamic with Auburn was a bit of a turn-off. They wanted deposits before some schools released decisions. They wanted deposits before they even told you what the financial picture was going to look like. âYou might not get housing if you donât deposit nowâ. Donât get me wrong - lots of schools play similar games. As an OOS family 1,500 miles away the prospect of not getting housing knocked it down a couple of pegs. YMMV.
Alabama is similar b ut they want you to actually enroll and pay enrollment deposit before even being allowed to pay a housing deposit. Auburn and Bama are tied for S24 top two right now but he is awaiting 6 other decisions and two of those six would significantly change the picture if admittedâŠwe are really feeling stressed about what to do. If he ends up at Auburn or Bama and has not deposited at either, he will be SOL for housing. Scrambling to find my freshman off campus housing when we are all the way in MA is not my idea of fun.
Feel for you - MA here too. We werenât ready to declare a winner until âall precincts reported inâ and ultimately that left AU with being full-pay OOS and unlikely to get housing. He applied for some departmental scholarships that he should have gotten something but believe because we had not made a deposit he got $0. When comparing that to the other offers on the table it was relatively easy to move AU out of contention. Great school, great programs⊠seemed like it would have been a really healthy environment for S23 but thereâs lots of schools that checked those boxes.
Totally agree. Traditionally at colleges across the country high performers with ACT/SAT, GPA âlocked inâ prior to Senior year overwhelmingly apply âearlyâ. âThe early bird gets the wormâ as the saying goes. However, for AU housing it is a nonrefundable deposit, without having to pay the âEnrollment Feeâ. I just paid $75.00 for the same setup at Texas A&M.
With S22 for AU Nursing, we DID pay the enrollment fee and housing deposit and it did award a few more âsmallâ scholarships after the Merit Presidential. You do NOT need to pay the enrollment fee for the Merit Scholarships to show up on the AU Access Portal. Just keep checking. S22 ended up staying in Florida.
High stat kids absolutely apply in the later rounds. My question is whether a high-stat kid like mine who applies EA2, not EA1, is at a disadvantage for housing because the portal opens before EA2 decisions are released.
Complete agreement on this. Where I disagree is that those same kids would be ready commit to a single school this early in the process. The early rounds of AUâs admissions process are WAY earlier than even the EA rounds of MOST other schools. S23 applied to 12 schools (all but 2 were EA) and Auburn notification from EA2 was the first notification to come back and about a month before the next.
The saying of âlove the school that loves youâ is spot on for AU - they clearly give priority to the kids for which AU is their #1 choice and ready to submit deposits almost a year before they would move in.
Auburn does not guarantee housing for many reasons. A large portion of first round is Alabama residents that have places in Auburn. Why should they be forced to pay for on campus? Spots open on campus and you can get in RD and log in when someone drops and get the most popular dorm. 160 Ross an Auburn housing option is further than most apartment complexes. Itâs just how Auburn is set up. A dorm flooded 7 days before move in this year. It closed for whole academic year. Those students found apartments in 10 days.
Just an idea of our Early Decision timeline and what it took for housing guarantees. YMMV
All apps submitted between Sept 10-17.
Texas A&M Decision Arrived Sept 21 - Housing Deposit Paid $75.00, Housing Shortage, Payment time stamp means everything for on-campus dorm choice
UCF Decision Arrived Sept 27 - Not Taking any Action
Auburn Decision Arrived Oct 13 - Waiting on Housing Portal to Open in Nov and WILL Pay Housing Deposit immediately, payment timestamp is everything for on-campus dorm choice.
Penn State Waiting Decision Released Nov 17-21, if Admitted WILL Pay Housing Deposit immediately, payment timestamp is everything for dorm choice.
Notre Dame Waiting - Decision Released Dec 22, No Housing Deposit Required, Everybody On Campus, IF Admitted WE STOP here, S26 WILL Attend.
Purdue Waiting - Decision Released Jan 15, If Denied Notre Dame, and IF Admitted WILL Pay Housing Deposit immediately, On-Campus, Housing Shortage, payment timestamp is everything for dorm choice
Then we have a BIG Choice to make. Pretty sure it will be between AU, Penn State, and Texas A&M if denied by Notre Dame.
Univ of Florida Waiting - Released Feb 24 BUT you pay your housing deposit about a day after applying, only $25.00. On-campus Housing Shortage.
I meant S28, sorry for the confusion. My other son was S26
EA2 is still early. I doubt they will be at a disadvantage
Thanks. All the urgency is really stressing me out.
Re: HONORS COLLEGE
My daughter is a current freshman in the Honors College. It has been very beneficial so far. Assuming early acceptance (to AU), HC all but secures on campus housing. She is in Matthews - the all Honors dorm in the Village and itâs been great (she plans to stay in the Village next year as well). She had her first pick of rooms with her chosen roommates, and I think that had a lot to do with the limited number of students who had Matthews as a choice.
She is taking 3 honors classes, and they all have been very small and âpersonalâ. Her profs know her by name, and the classes arenât really more work, just taught in a different format (probably more similar to her IB high school classes). She also is set to register very early in the Spring (like before sophomores), so that goes a long way in getting the classes you want.
I will say I thought the application was pretty intense, but if they are good essay writers and can think outside the box, itâs probably not hard for most of these kids!
Wow - a lot of those application results are quite early. I didnât list the schools but from my spreadsheet last yearâŠ
Application Type | Submission Deadline | Notification Date |
---|---|---|
EA2 | 10/15/2022 | 11/9/2022 |
EA | 11/1/2022 | 12/15/2022 |
EA | Rolling (submitted 10/12) | 12/25/2022 |
EA | 11/1/2022 | 1/15/2023 |
EA | 12/1/2022 | 2/28/2023 |
EA | 11/1/2022 | 1/31/2023 |
EA | 11/1/2022 | 2/1/2022 |
EA | 11/1/2022 | 2/15/2023 |
EA - deferred to RD | 11/15/2022 | 3/8/2023 |
ED | 11/1/2022 | 12/15/2022 |
EA | 11/1/2022 | 2/28/2023 |
RD | 1/1/2023 | 3/31/2023 |
which dorm was that?
@SoCal92780 It was Cambridge. Heavy summer rains led to flooding and moisture damage that needed significant repairs.