<p>To answer the S vs. D question - last year my D’s male friends had it worse than she did - they were all psyched for a particular dorm which had suites for four and it was filled by the time their number came. They had to reshuffle their groups because the dorm that was left had suites for 6.</p>
<p>My S just finished blocking for residential dorms - housing for the next three years. Students seem to think that if they block with the maximum number of 8, they’ll get a better housing assignment. From what he tells me, this leaves lots of kids out in the cold as singles or “floaters.” This is a hyped up tradition that is fraught with anxiety and drama for many students.</p>
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<p>Yes, but was there DRAMA about it? Did the guys call their mothers in tears? I doubt it.</p>
<p>My son had a random roommate freshman year, and stuck with him second year. Actually, they wound up both getting singles for price of double right next to each other. Now he’s trying to live off campus for junior year, but will tell me nothing about it. I guess I should be glad he’s handling it, but I am stressed bc the school housing selection is over, and some years they don’t have enough housing. School is not near home, so not sure what he will do if it doesn’t work out. But he’s not worried, so I guess I shouldn’t be either.</p>
<p>We had stress with D12 choosing a suite for this year ( sophomore year). They wanted a 3 room suite ( 6 girls) and each had a lottery number. The problem was that you could not save a spot for your suite mates. If you were # 50 and you got the suite, random kids can get in with lower lottery numbers than the kids you want to dorm with. This created a situation whereby my D was in a suite with strangers who wanted to dorm together and needed a random person to complete the suite ( that random person being my D). After several weeks of this nonsense they finally managed to get a suite to accommodate their group. </p>
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<p>Not everyone defines “drama” as including the presence of tears. All 3 of my kids (including the boy) had drama with housing. Meaning, there was stress and emotion involved in figuring out where they would be living in the fall and with whom. I don’t recall any of them crying about it.</p>
<p>Thanks Bay - I was going to say that - yes these boys had drama - they were upset and emotional and did not know how things would turn out (enough so that my daughter who had her situation figured out before them since she had a better number was actually upset for them)</p>
<p>Drama! Oh yes with son and daughters, maybe we are overly dramatic but in general, lots of hurt feelings. Blocking groups, getting left out, leaving others out…Oh the agony! LOL</p>
<p>I have 6 sibs. I never called my parents in tears about anything and to my knowledge, neither did my sibs (3 boys and 3 girls). Neither my S nor D ever called me in tears about housing, though I would get a bit concerned when D seemed to be waiting until the last minute on her housing, twice. She had no angst nor any drama during undergrad or now about housing nor about much else (nor did S). </p>
<p>Actually, we had hoped to hear from them a bit more often than we typically do, but that’s another story. 
Just glad that when we do hear, they seem to be mostly happy and healthy! </p>
<p>D roomed with kids she knew from HS (after her blind assignment to a suite with 4 girls the 1st term); this year, she’s renting a room in a house. S was blindly assigned his 1st year & got along OK with his room mate. Have no idea who he lived with 2nd year, other than it was 4 males in a 2 bedroom and one male left and another one started in spring. 3rd & 4th years, he shared an apartment with a kid he knew from HS & they got along great. He now lives along in a one bedroom condo he rents. Both kids only lived in the dorm for their 1st semester or 2. After that, they lived in apartments across the street from campus. They never had more than 1-3 room mates, which may have helped reduce the drama.</p>
<p>No drama here. Both my boys roomed with high school friends. They each did freshman year in the dorm and then moved out (still with the h.s. friends) to off campus rental houses…which they liked MUCH better than the dorms. They agreed that everyone should get the dorm experience for a year. S1 liked the ideal location of his dorm but it was for freshman only so he had to get out. Being out on their own during college was good experience. Lots of life lessons learned.</p>
<p>Drama comes when you least expect it. Series of texts from S last night reveal that his housing arrangement for next year has fallen apart. He was set to go into the room draw as part of a group of 4. Yesterday, the guy who had committed to being his roommate decided to back out and go off campus alone. The other pair can still go into the room draw, but my S is now screwed. He’ll be a sophomore and so not likely to get a single. Crying? No. Pissed off? Oh my, yes. </p>
<p>My observation is that girl drama tends to be more painful than boy drama–on average. At my kids’ college, the biggest problem is that there are a lot of suites of all different sizes, and reshuffling is often needed. Figuring out who will be the odd person out is the source of a lot of the pain.</p>
<p>I agree with Hunt. My son and his friends wanted to try for the octet. Unfortunately, the girls won the toss so that was a no go. There were really 7 of them with a potential 8th if the could get the octet. Now, they have seven. The six room suite is nicer than the four room suites. So, there could be one odd man out if a six room suite is still available. Otherwise, they may have someone they don’t know at all as a roommate. All my son said about the whole situation was, “So much drama, Ugh.” </p>
<p>After 2 years at boarding school, expatSon is remarkably chill about residence. He’s got preferences, sure, but no drama.</p>