<p>Can someone discuss the process of "applying" for a specific dorm? </p>
<p>Do Chancellor's/James Scholars get priority over everyone else when it comes to getting their preferred dorms?</p>
<p>Thanks. Any responses will be appreciated.</p>
<p>I’m both a Chancellor’s and James scholar and I didn’t get any of my selections.</p>
<p>It’s a random system, assuming one applies by the deadline. Students in honors get scheduling preference, but not housing preference.</p>
<p>When you eventually apply for housing you will provide your choices of three in order of preference. All those who apply for housing by mid-May of their senior year in high school will be assigned housing via a computer that doles out housing in no particular order. Thus if you apply May 12, you will have the same chance of getting your choices as someone who applies for housing in February. Note that system has been in place for only two years; prior to that housing was actually awarded in order of receipt of housing applications. That is still the way used by the Private Certified Housing units (nearby off-campus dorms that are privately owned but approved for freshman housing by UIUC).</p>
<p>So, if I signed up with a roommate, would we essentially have two shots, in the lottery, at our preferred dorms? (This is assuming that we would sign up separately and be able to join the roommate with the better selected dorm).</p>
<p>Or would we sign up together, as roommates, and get our dorms selected as a pair?</p>
<p>If you apply by the first lottery (this year was May 15th) you have the same shot as everyone. Everyone’s housing contract is drawn at random by computer. If your top choice is available, you get it. If it isn’t available, computer goes down the list (you pick your top 6 choices) until it finds one.</p>
<p>You can’t pick the specific hall you want, only the area (Ike North, PAR, ISR, etc). Each of the six options you prioritize on your housing application asks for the area and the type of dorm you want (single, double, triple, etc).</p>
<p>If you are trying to get a particular roommate, there’s an option for how you want the computer to prioritize your application. You can put prefer either location or roommate. This will tell the computer which aspect to focus more on. Keep in mind though, no one is guaranteed to get one of their top 6 dorms or even the roommate they want.</p>
<p>There is a hall change request form, but they are processed in the order they are received. If you don’t like your dorm, file your request immediately.</p>