S is a soon-to-be freshman and he just got his dorm assignment. He decided to go random for a roommate, and was extremely disappointed to find out that he won’t have one - he has been assigned a single in Monroe. And not only is it a single but it has a storage closet on either side of him and the elevators are across the hall. He is a social kid and doesn’t want to live in such an isolated situation. And the kicker is he is going to be charged $900 more a year for the single that he doesn’t even want! We have both sent emails to housing requesting a change, but since he has to be there on Aug 16 for his Explore NOLA project i don’t know if there will be much chance for a change. Has anyone else had to deal with this situation, and was housing able to make a change for you? Would he have better luck if he went on facebook and tried to pair up with someone else who is also unhappy about getting a single and have the two of them call housing and ask for a double somewhere? He doesn’t care what dorm he gets as long as it is a double.
Don’t worry about isolation, @zebrarunner, Monroe is very social. The bathroom is down the hall and everyone is in and out of their rooms. I’ll guess that he is on the second floor of Monroe-- this is traditionally an all boys floor and has several singles. The second floor is great because they just run up the stairs and don’t bother with the elevator. I doubt many boys realize that they can even get a single as a freshman, so he certainly might find someone who wants to switch with him. Kids switch rooms all the time for various reasons, so don’t worry, he certainly can switch, but he is in a great place.
He’s actually on the 9th floor, not the 2nd (which I agree would be better). I think he would be less disappointed if he even had a next door neighbor, but to just have storage closets and a room marked “Data” on the map in his part of the hall seems very isolating. Not to mention that we are expected to pay over $1000 more for the “privilege” of living in a single. He is going to post on the FB page to see if there is anyone out there who would prefer a single and wants to switch with him. We didn’t even realize there were singles, or he never would have put Monroe down as one of his dorm choices.
I think you are taking the right steps, @zebrarunner. Usually there is someone that wants a single and will take it. Even if he starts the semester in the single, i wouldn’t have him stop checking in with housing. There are always some no-shows after move-in settles down (called summer melt, these are kids that decided to attend elsewhere or just not go and never informed Tulane) and that leaves some kids in doubles by themselves. Persistence is important here.
Thanks @fallenchemist - housing did get back to me and said that they would try to move him - the kicker seemed to be when i said i wouldn’t pay the extra $1000 for the single. That seemed to spur some action, although we haven’t gotten anything definite yet. We will keep asking them!
At least the room should be quiet if he wants to have quiet sometimes. But yes there should be someone that might prefer a single and would switch.
He did think about the fact that the room would be quiet, and I think if it were on an actual hall it might not be so bad. But the room is in the elevator lobby, with storage closets on either side of him and doors separating him from both wings of the hall. He’s a social guy and just doesn’t want to be that isolated. And the thought of paying another $1000 for that is hard to stomach!
^^^Agreed!! For a freshman that just seems completely inappropriate. Now a senior, that might be a whole different thing.
Thanks all - just got back from move in weekend and S thinks the storage closet will work out fine! It would be better if it were actually on a hall and not in the elevator lobby, but I think it will be OK. As people have said, Monroe is very social so he is meeting lots of kids. And if the micro-housing fad continues to grow, he will be ready - his room is TINY!
@zebrarunner So glad it will work out. When I posted what I said above, I had no idea the class size was going to be this new record of 1730!! And that this would obviously result in the dorms being essentially full. But hopefully he will reap the benefits of a single while still having all the social life he desires. I am sure he will.
@fallenchemist My S participated in the Ignite program the week before move-in, and I think that really helped a lot in making him feel much more comfortable. I highly recommend doing one of those pre-move-in programs - all the kids my S knows who did one seemed much more relaxed and happy on move-in weekend. And my S seemed to get a great deal out of the Ignite program in particular - he got to learn a lot about what the city has to offer and where the city needs to do more to help its citizens, and he met some amazing people who are working so hard to improve the lives of New Orleans poorer residents.
^^^That’s Tulane! Or at least that’s one of many great things about attending Tulane. That really sounds fantastic, @zebrarunner. They have continued to improve the “NOLA Experience” every year. I agree it has nothing but positives for those that participate.
Sounds like another great school in a great city! My D loves it at Pitt.
Drifting off topic but I guess that’s OK for a bit. Yes, Pittsburgh is one of the most underrated cities in the US. Or it used to be, anyway. It does seem to finally be getting its due. Both my kids were born there, we lived there for about 10 years. Then my son went to law school there. Pitt has a fairly large crossover of applicants with Tulane.
Yes, Pitt has a freshman class of over 4,000 this year.
My D went to NOLA in 2012 and loved it, but I like that she is only 2 hours away.