My son will be a freshman Fall 2016. He’ll be an engineering student and hopes to live in Bryant. He has a friend who will be a sophomore next year. But, it seems like only freshman are on the roommate selection online. Is there a way to request a sophomore?
More likely - if the sophomore is allowed to live on campus, then the sophomore would pull in the freshman during on-campus housing registration for upperclassmen.
But @UAHousing could answer this definitively.
My son’s roommate wanted an upcoming freshman in his room two years ago and had no problem “pulling” him in. However, this year it is might be ALOT different as they are trying to consolidate those upperclassman who are “allowed” to stay on campus in the same dorms/apartments. (In the past the upperclassman picked where they wanted to stay and the freshman worked around them.) Definitely something housing will have to answer, although my feeling is IF the new freshman wants to be with upperclassmen and doesn’t mind going where they are assigned (if there is space available) then he might be allowed.
Yes definitely possible. My son pulled in three freshmen (he was a sophomore.). His roommate finder was not limited to just his year, though. However, for the few upperclassmen that stay in on campus housing, not all identify themselves by their year. It is to a freshman’s advantage to get pulled in by an upperclassman because the upperclassman gets to select a room earlier. Of course, things are going to be quite different this year, as there are few openings for returning students, especially in Honors. But if your son’s sophomore friend gets an offer to select on campus housing, just make sure you have paid all deposits and completed the housing app before that sophomore’s selection date. As long as your son and his sophomore friend have both mutually accepted each other’s roommate request, it should work out fine.
The reason your son only sees freshman on the roommate finder is because the upperclassmen have yet to know if they will get on campus housing. Your son should also talk to his friend and find a dorm that the sophomore can live in. They have restricted the dorms upperclassman can live in. So while your son could live in all the dorms for the most part, the friend couldn’t. I believe the upperclassmen will know near the end of January or early February. Also the sophomore should pull your son in, since sophomores pick before freshman. Hope this helps!
@bmolloy97 yes, it’s possible for a freshman to live with a sophomore. Once the sophomore hears if he or she is going to be allowed to return to campus next year, give me a shout at jgmcgee@sa.ua.edu and I can walk you through the best way to make this happen.
Hope this helps,
Janine
@UAHousing - what percentage of upperclassmen are able to stay on campus?