Dorms!

<p>hey, I'm just wondering about the dorm situation. If any of you personally knows about it please give a description of each and its pros and cons? thanks!</p>

<p>Well, my son just got wait-listed for housing next year. He didn't apply for theme housing. Just wanted one of the other dorms. Since $2,000 of his scholarship money is for housing, he applied for campus housing. He didn't get far enough along to request a dorm or a room. He probably won't find out until after the freshmen confirm what will happen. He said they are expecting 150-300 upper classmen to cancel housing. He's not sure where he is on the wait list. If he is refused housing, the $2,000 will still be paid, but it may leave us doing a quick search through what housing is left. There are many students in his situtaiton since there is a serious lack of campus housing. I'm just hoping they complete at least one dorm before they tear another one down. This isn't just Tulane, though. Of all of the universities we explored, WUSTL was the only one that guaranteed housing for all four years. The problem, according to my son is that there isn't room for more dorms and that they need to expand the main campus.</p>

<p>alongfor - your post was a bit of an eye-opener for me. I hadn't remembered Tulane, from our visit, as one of the schools with housing shortage. Guess I missed something. S has the DSA, now $3k toward on-campus housing. Does your S' experience mean they have to "jump" on signing up for 2nd yr housing? Or is there a problem no matter when they get their request in? I gather that if they end up off-campus not by choice they still get the $3K?</p>

<p>Return housing is by lottery, and it's supposed to be by class and totally random. My son will return for his second year as a junior, but that doesn't count for housing. It's how many years you have physically been at Tulane. I thought I remembered that about 60% live on campus, but my son thinks that may be less until they get the dorms finished. I couldn't find the figure off hand, maybe someone like rico knows. It's my understanding that if you apply for housing and they can't accomodate you that you will still get (in the case of the current DSA's) the $2,000. Honestly, my son would like to live off campus, but decided that the housing allowance was too much money to walk away from since we don't believe you can save that much living off campus. He thinks that he will probably be accomodated. He just doesn't know about his roomie or dorm and doesn't think he will have much of a choice there - unless for some reason, they try to hook him up with a smoker. He has a history of asthma.</p>

<p>Only the smallest of private schools in our state have guaranteed housing for four years, and none of the major privates or flagships guarantee it, so we were prepared for the situation to arise. Our state flagship can't even house all of the freshmen and takes deposits as early as September to get you on the housing list - before you are even accepted or rejected and it's non-refundable.</p>

<p>In Tulane's case, the Garden District and Uptown areas are very compact and even though students don't live on campus, they are probably as close to the campus as many dorms are to classrooms at large state universities. Our other flagship runs bus service from one are of campus to the other. So, I think that living 3 or 4 blocks from campus doesn't really leave you feeling isolated. The whole area just seems to be filled with students. My son has a compact car, so he will have easy access to the grocery store. Although, I would imagine off campus would be doable without a car.</p>

<p>Thanks, along. How I remember the lottery from my 200-years-ago experience. But there, it was just for how "plum" a spot you got, not whether you got one at all. Off-campus vs. on- is not a big concern of mine - sounds like not of yours either. But I would think it only fair to credit the $2-3K if it's not the kids choice to go off.</p>

<p>Hi Alongfortheride,</p>

<p>My son is a freshman and applied for housing next year, but he and 2 friends ppounded the pavement for the last 2 weeks and as of last Friday he signed a lease and is one of those kids that won't be needing Tulane housing. So good luck, and I also know someone that transferred to Tulane last year as a junior, with no housing, but a few weeks before school started, he was able to get on campus housing.</p>

<p>Lori</p>

<p>along~, if you don't mind sharing, was there any particular reason that your S did not choose Butler again? I have the personal message option.</p>

<p>According to him, his lottery sign up time fell late so he didn't get to request a dorm at all and I believe that Butler was not an option since he isn't an RA. I think they must be holding off on re-assigning freshman space to upper classmen until after they see how many freshmen will be coming.</p>

<p>Jamismom, I read on the website that late applicants (in this case, currently enrolled students) would find out sometime during the summer whether or not they have a room. Since my son signed up on time, he's hoping he'll find out something in April or early May. I know that a few students will decide over the summer not to return, but he is hoping to get an answer and a waiver in time to get housing set before summer if he needs an apartment. He should find out by the first week of April where he falls on the waitlist. I told him to be smart and start finding out who else got waitlisted so that he could start looking for roommates. His roomie decided to move off campus next year also, and I'm sure that my son would have too if he hadn't wanted to keep the housing waiver.</p>

<p>I have a chicken and egg question for everyone. If Tulane is short on housing, why don't they just put that housing waiver in the tuition amount anyway and let the upper classmen pursue off campus housing? All I can think about is that they want to guarantee 100% occupancy of their dorm rooms.</p>

<p>I think you have answered your own question along~ LOL</p>

<p>Thanks, along~ Still gathering info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>Tue concerneddad. I guess I was just thinking out loud!</p>