<p>Some of the UCs seemed to have dorm personalities, and I don’t know if that exists at Davis. I have a son who is Undeclared Humanities at the moment, is leaning towards Comparative Literature, and I was wondering if there is a specific dorm where the more literary/artistic/film/philosophy types tend to live. He did go to a STEM high school, but wants to branch out.</p>
<p>Any ideas? He doesn’t want a triple.</p>
<p>Thank you for any input!</p>
<p>From the dead silence, I am presuming no such thing exist. Anyhow, looking over my son’s shoulder while he filled out the form (since I was the one with the check book), it looked like it was about illusion of choice, once you get past the power of the lottery selection. At least, you have to pick three housing areas - and there only are three housing areas - and you have to pick three different mixes of the other stuff, even if no residential housing community (or only one) interests you at all - and even if you only want a double. And only one gender selection exists (at least for guys. Not that he wanted an all guy dorm, but rather than a triple or single? I think he might have.) So my offspring had to decide, to contrive the required third choice for that section, whether to say triple (absolutely unwanted) or single, (double is the desired composition), with the chance that any single would also be in the ‘third choice’ (read, unwanted) living area. In that case it would end up being a single in Cuarto, which, from what I read here, might as well be joining a seclusive monastery complete with vows of silence.</p>
<p>Hopefully, they are all actually good living arrangements, and things will work out.</p>
<p>In any event, that requirement is behind us now!</p>
<p>@collegevetting: Unless there is a living/learning community your son is interested in such as the arts, music and performing, there are not specific dorms which would specific for those interests. Also most of the living/learning communities are triples such an Engineering and Environmental Sustainability and housed in the Tercero area. Some such as the Latino theme living community has been housed in the Segundo area and the Quiet living in Cuarto. My son wanted a double with no living/learning community and ended up in Segundo area Primero grove apartments. My son had 5 roommates, 2 engineers, 1 econ major, 1 pre-med and 1 landscape architect major.<br>
Cuarto is not really that isolated and since Tercero will be opening up new freshman dorms this Fall, much of Cuarto will be used for 2nd years such as my son.</p>
<p>@Gumbymom, Thanks. My son wanted a double with no living / learning communities, also, but he had to choose second and third choices with either different occupancy or two alternates of living / learning communities or he couldn’t complete his application, which required the choices to be different. What your son got sounds fine to me, and I hope it works out as well for mine - although he would prefer dorms in Segundo. Segundo is his number one area, however, and five roommates sounds like there is room to socialize.</p>
<p>He was thinking more of the literature type humanities, most people from his school that he knows are going are engineering majors. They are friends, but his closest friends were more humanities types. I’m sure he’ll find friends out of the thousands there, however. He had just liked the Kresge option at UCSC and I wondered if there were something like that at Davis that he could choose to come up with enough options. However, the application didn’t work that way, in any event, so it doesn’t matter. I just hope he doesn’t get a triple, which he did end up putting down as third choice out of fear of the isolated single experience. There was no way to just ask for a double, however, it seemed, without joining some group, and only one seemed even remotely interesting to him.</p>
<p>I’m sure it won’t matter much in the long run, but it was somewhat frustrating as a process matter. I think I (and he) would have rather just put down first choice, and only put other options if there really was a preference. Then the lottery would decide it all, which seems like will be the case in any event. He spent a ton of time debating over choices and maybe 5 minutes filling out the application, because the combinations weren’t set up that way, as it turned out.</p>
<p>Also, it looks like they are taking Leach out of commission for redevelopment. I don’t know what the net gain in beds will be in Trecero when that happens, but I am hoping it will be a net gain in beds.</p>
<p>My son also wanted a dorm, not the apartments and when he was at summer orientation, several parents stated that their students received a questionnaire about Primero Grove and if they wanted to room in the apartments. My son and his roommates never received this questionnaire but were still placed in Primero Grove. His first choice was Tercero then Segundo and last Cuarto. He picked 1st choice No living/learning double, 2nd choice was Drug Free double and 3rd choice Quiet double. Got his first choice configuration but 2nd choice area. I believe Primero Grove will be used for Transfers this coming year and not Freshman since the new Phase of Tercero will be open for business. It has been harder to socialize being in the apartments, but he has 2 friends in Ryerson (Segundo area) dorm and through them he has meet more friends.
Also, students have until August to add roommates. My son meet 1 of his roommates during orientation in July, so they agreed to add each other to the housing application.</p>
<p>@Gumbymom thanks. That August deadline is helpful to know. My kids decided late and my son just learned about the facebook group. If they can go to orientation before the deadline, that is helpful.</p>