I’m a rising sophomore, and I’m participating in the housing lottery tomorrow. (I have the first time slot.) A group of us are considering “blocking” together, but we have a question we don’t see answered in the Housing FAQ.
We might have both males and females in our group, so obviously we would be choosing at least two different suites or a combination including corridor rooms in a block. However, if we select rooms in two different suites, are the entire suites held for the four minute period while we assign beds?
The suites are “dynamic,” which means the gender of a suite is determined by the first person to reserve a bed in it. We’re wondering if it’s possible that, while we’re trying to assign beds say to the females, that someone else could reserve a different room in the suite and make the whole suite “male” (which would make us have to start our selection over).
So again my question is, does anyone know if, when you select a room in a suite, are you actually holding that ENTIRE suite (which for us would be two separate suites) for the four minutes you are allowed to assign beds and submit the reservation?
Thanks, and I appreciate any input.
Hi,
Yesterday was the first time I ever experienced a housing lottery/room selection. In a word all I can say is, WOW!! It was intense and nerve wracking!
If you have specific criteria you are looking for, things fill up so quickly. So be ready! Be prepared with a list of dorms and rooms that you are hoping for. Also, it might help to review the room selection online tutorial and if you have time go to the housing meeting that discusses room selections. I was blessed enough to have a very good time slot and even with that, a lot of my hopefuls were gone before I knew it. A little bit of panic started to set in and I had to get moving! I don’t know if I’ve ever typed so fast before. LOL!!
I did end up getting a nice place on west campus, but when it was over, I felt like I did not know what hit me.
To answer my question above for any upcoming sophomores next year (assuming things do not change) no, the entire suite is not reserved when you make a room selection. Which means, when it comes to deciding if the suite you select will be a male or female suite, if you are not quick enough, and someone else finishes submitting before you, you may have to start all over again if you are not the same gender as the person who may have got in and selected a different bed in that same suite.
To anyone still selecting rooms today, good luck and hang in there! 
S3 went thru the lottery last night and had a very similar experience. He was blocking with 3 other guys and they were in search of a double and 2 singles somewhere in West. They had the 6pm slot and pickings were already slim. They did get into Becker but he and his roommate got a corridor double and the other 2 guys are on the same floor but both had to take random doubles. (one in a corridor and the other in a suite). There were no singles left at 6, so they made a very quick decision to live in Becker.
My D, rising sophomore, applied to Language House which is on West and part of Alice Cook. She applied last December and just found out a week before the lottery the she was accepted. She had to write some short answer type essays and be available for an interview if need be. She wanted a single, but was offered a double, which she gladly accepted. Nice thing is that she will be able to stay in Language House in the ensuing years if she wishes. If she didn’t get accepted, then she would have gone into the general lottery as well.
Congratulations to your daughter, I’ve heard wonderful things about the Language House, I hope she likes it! For her to have the option to not have to worry about another housing lottery is a big plus!
I’ve been pretty happy with my dorm on North Campus this year, but I have to admit I’m looking forward to moving to West Campus this fall.