Find out your dorm now (?)

<p>well... don't expect too much from nyu was all that I've been told!!!</p>

<p>on a side note, 3N was my last choice if that makes you feel better</p>

<p>Their housing is kind of a joke. </p>

<p>You rank them, but you aren't guaranteed anything. If you specify you want Low cost, you may or may not get it, and if you don't ask for it, they might give it to you. </p>

<p>The funniest is that the roommate survey is 3 questions long.</p>

<p>A person in housing told my D that explorations are chosen first then everything else.</p>

<p>Jimmy C:
Don't remember checking a box that said we want higher cost housing...:>)</p>

<p>As a mom who went through this years ago with NYU, I have to agree with those who suggest not getting all upset about it now. NYU will often just assign a dorm for the bursar's purposes and often what you are seeing on your account is NOT what you will end up with when you get your official notification of assignment and roommate info. Why worry about it before that arrives? </p>

<p>There is no guarantee, in any case, except for E.D. students. That is made clear to anyone who inquires during the application process. In fact, until recently, R.D. kids didn't even get to indicate a list of preferred dorms. They were simply assigned with no input whatsoever. NYU is a huge university and it's unrealistic to expect that they will handle things like another college. It isn't first come/first served and never has been. There is a deadline by which the housing info and deposit must be received but no one gets priority for getting it in early. Who indicated to you that there was an advantage? If they asked for a 1-5 or 1-6 list prioritized, there's a reason for it and it's not a good idea to only indicate 4. </p>

<p>Bottom line is that the reality is that a particular dorm is not going to make or break a student's year. They will meet kids, make friends, regardless of the dorm they're in. The financial concerns are understandable and I know that they make every attempt to assign low cost triples to those who request them. It's not always a perfect match with what people want but that's the way it is, and everyone will survive. As I said, no point in getting all worked up over this. Trust me, if you have a problem with this for freshman year, just wait til you have to deal with the housing lottery in subsequent years. ;)</p>

<p>Thanks alwaysamom. I guess maybe my rant..I mean post..seemed a little harsh. Since you mention you went through this years ago, perhaps the numbers have changed since then. I am not upset, merely questioning how they do it - there seems to be no logic, just a sense of randomness to it all. We have perspective of many other universities and NYU seems to be lacking in this area, just my observation, as supported by others in this post as well.</p>

<p>And not all 'huge universities' handle things like this - there are many others that have a plan and it doesn't seem so random. When you are paying over $200K for an education, usually they try to have you feel as if they care about your student, just a little bit. Also, I never said it was first come/first serve for housing, but if it works elsewhere, why wouldn't it work for NYU freshman? They already do that with ED students. It should matter when you send in your deposit, you are indicating strong or not-so-strong interest.</p>

<p>I have every confidence that DS will deal with whatever comes his way...and we are delighted for him that he is heading to NYU. And he's the one who will be dealing with the housing lottery in years to come, not me.</p>

<p>No need for further comment to me directly. If anyone else wishes to address the randomness of NYU's procedure, feel free. Thanks y'all!</p>

<p>Remark, I feel you. I'd be just as angry if I got more expensive housing.</p>

<p>And for clarification, your son/daughter filled out 4 buildings because those were the four "traditional" dorms. The one you got and the other one are the apartment style dorms which have the kitchens and such and are more expensive.</p>

<p>If it's any consolation, I don't believe meal plans are required when you have apartment style but I'm not 100% about that.</p>

<p>Unless things have changed this year, there are five traditional style freshman dorms - Weinstein, Brittany, Goddard, Rubin, and Hayden. 3N and UHall are the apt style dorms for freshman, and although the cost for them is higher, no mealplan is required as it is for the traditional dorms. Hayden, Rubin and 3N all have low cost rooms so if someone requested low cost and was placed in 3N, that may be why.</p>

<p>^Oh yep. You're right.</p>

<p>The only thing is isn't Goddard explorations only or something like that? I think that's why I left it off my housing sheet.</p>

<p>We are totally confused! My D, who is a transfer to Tisch, received an email saying they had removed her housing because it didnt accurately reflect the charge for her dorm which they then go on to say is Gramercy Green! it wasn't one of the transfer housing options though she would be thrilled. Can we rely on this email ? It was very odd...</p>

<p>Jimmy, you are right. In apartment style a meal plan is not required. However, my son will be using a meal plan, at least for this first year - I think with all the changes and adjustments he faces heading across the country to school, shopping for and cooking meals would be the last thing he needs to deal with. There seem to be many great options on campus for dining. Also Goddard is not available unless you signed up for that specific program - it's not even an option to select when signing up.</p>

<p>FYI, we did not sign up for low cost housing and the charge on his bill reflects the standard charge, not a reduced amount. So no explanation there.</p>

<p>We will just wait and see.</p>

<p>Travelling hopefully, I would be on the phone first thing tomorrow morning. And if your daughter did get Gramercy, congrats to her - it looks amazing. Our friend who showed us 3N got Gramercy for this coming year. To say they are excited is an understatement.</p>

<p>oh I will be right on the phone! of course she would be thrillled! but to get her expectations up and then shoot them down, all I can say is that I hope it doesn't happen that way and that she is in fact at Gramercy!</p>

<p>travellinghopefully, I hope that she actually does get Gramercy, it's a great building in a very good location. If she does, she will be one very lucky girl indeed, because transfers usually are placed wherever there's space left, and that's usually at dorms like 26th St. which no one else wants. Good luck to her.</p>

<p>All of my D's friends who are going to universities/colleges other than NYU were not even asked what dorm they might want to live in: they simply applied for housing and will be given what they are given. Considering that, it's pretty darned nice that NYU even asks its students to state preferences and apparently at least tries to give those preferences some consideration.</p>

<p>As alwaysamom says, in the end, it's not going to be a big deal which dorm a kid is in or is not in. It's nice if they get the one that they requested, but if not, they will cope/live/make friends and no doubt end up having a great time. Bloom where you're planted, is what I always tell my kids.</p>

<p>I hope she does too! She was in an absolutely horrible , run down, smeely, waterstained dorm last year at Drew with a roommate who was beyond impossible (and my d has had many roommates at summer programs with no problem) and just nasty kids, by and large. I don't know if a different dorm would have been better! NYU is a completely different story because there are so many kids in each one and you are in NY, so I think there is less of an issue.</p>

<p>I hope that parents are transferring the stress onto the students. My son, an ED student chose a residence hall that is less popular because it is close to Gallatin, has several food choices, has air conditioning and because it is a traditional-style hall. He felt that those qualifications would help him make it through the year. I would not have picked the same residence hall he did; however, he is the one living there. If given the chance, I would have chosen the most popular apartment-style hall!! At orientation one of the leaders told me she wished that she had chosen that dorm her freshman year--in her opinion he was very wise. Not to be a polly-anna but they will do as well as they want to in any room and make it theirs.</p>

<p>Not Mama Rose: Your experience with your daughter's friends and their college housing may reflect on their chosen school and it's policies.
However, even our UC's (state university) out here in California have a preference/ranking procedure and it works! Most private colleges that I know of (and many publics as well) have a housing preference feature when you are putting down the deposit. Housing is an issue; where you live can make a difference in the first year. OF COURSE the kids make the best of it and sometimes, many times, it works out even better than anyone could have imagined. The point of my original post was trying to better understand how the housing system worked, and from early comments it appeared that many others were assigned to places they had not requested either. I agree, bloom where you are planted, and mine have and will continue to - they are great boys and I'm very proud of them. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and input.</p>

<p>One of my D's closest friends is going to Sarah Lawrence College, which is definitely private and very pricey: pretty much the same cost at NYU. Her friend was not asked which dorm she wanted to live in. Instead, she was sent a long (two page) questionnaire asking about things like smoking, study habits and such, and that form was used to match her with a roommate. But the girl was not given a choice of dorm buildings or even whether she would get a double, triple, etc. As her mom said "You get what you get."</p>