@TxSker@ArAr72 My son is in Mosher now as a freshman but it is not required. I preferred him to live there because they have an engineering student mentor that reached out to freshmen to help with any transition needs. I like the study/tutoring there if he needs it, etc. I wan’t sure how he would handle the transition and juggle classes. He really didn’t have a preference and it’s just one year, in the majority of cases. Even though his best friend is also in Mosher and engineering, they both decided to go pot luck with roommates and it has worked out well.
When we toured A&M last Dec, our guide told us the construction at the commons was going to be complete in August. I missed the 2017 part. However, I did hear a rumor, and it may be just that, that is was ahead of schedule and might, just maybe, be done when they come back after Christmas break. I also saw online, when looking up something else about the construction, that bids are being received to replace the HVAC and electrical in Mosher. No idea when that plans to start. So far, the temp is great for son in his room. But, there are only 3 plugs in the room (6 outlets) and fridges must be plugged into the wall as well as microwaves, not power strips. Because the outlet boxes are old, they don’t accommodate two fat plugs.
Son put Moser as his first choice then listed different room combinations in Hullabaloo for the remaining choices. He wouldn’t have gotten Hullabaloo anyway because it was full by people with earlier housing contract dates and he didn’t get his app done until mid Oct.
What’s your advice for transfer students looking to room on-campus in the spring? I know it can be tough getting a room on-campus but I just got accepted and I want to make sure I know all of my options.
@southernbelle18
If you are an upperclassmen, non-traditional student, transfer student, or are married, then you might be interested in our University Apartments (UA). This is a separate application process and can be found here:http://reslife.tamu.edu/options/apartments/
Getting into a dorm may be difficult in spring but you never know. Just be aware your roommate may be a freshman. A good friend of mine son was accepted in mid February and didn’t get to choose his dorm but was assigned (Aston). His roommate was a 20 year old transfer student. The son was good with it but the 20yo apparently wasn’t and was able to get a change.
My own daughter lost her roommate last year at winter break and was never assigned a new one, so openings do happehttps://newaggie.tamu.edu/tr-preparing-to-be-an-aggie/n. Contact reslife for info on dorms http://reslife.tamu.edu
When are newly admitted incoming freshmen (Fall 2017) notified of housing assignments? My son requested Hullabaloo on 9/22 (2 bedroom suite, $350 deposit paid) after acceptance notification on 9/20 (Visualization major). His best friend (engineering major) received his TAMU acceptance notification also on 9/20. He too indicated Hullabaloo (2 bedroom suite) and submitted his residence hall application and $350 deposit on 9/22. They indicated each other’s names on the residence hall application as requested roommates and each is now showing on the online housing application of the other as “Accepted Roommates”. Are incoming freshmen notified of housing assignment as the dorms fill up? After the NSC date is set? Some other milepost event??? The application doesn’t say anything about when notification occurs…Thanks in advance for any input on this.
@dtagg1 typically, an applicant has up to May 1 to make changes to housing preferences and applicants are notified around the first of June. For the class of 2020, it was June 1.
Your student will log into their Housing portal. There, their roommate will be listed with contact information.
Something I forgot to add at the top post about priority housing and understanding who has priority and how it works. I copied this information strait from the webpage.
Housing assignments will be made on a first-come, first-served basis—established by the housing priority date, which is defined as the date the housing application, including fee, is received in the Housing Assignments Office.
Priority housing will be given to freshmen who apply for housing within 30 days of being admitted to Texas A&M, if space is available. Apply as soon as possible because space is limited.
Freshmen who apply for housing after 30 days of being admitted to Texas A&M will be considered for on-campus housing—if space is available and after all other priority students have been accommodated. All housing assignments will be based on the housing priority date,
@dtagg1, My son did the exact same thing with his desired roommate and preference for Hullabaloo, although it was on 9/19 for Class of 2019 (first day of first wave of acceptances). I’m sure they’ll get their preferences as they applied very early and in the past Hullabaloo has filled up on or around Oct. 1. Still, as others have mentioned, they won’t get official notification until late May/early June. Hullabaloo is a great dorm, and a great location! For others, take note of what @Thelma2 states above about applying for housing within the first 30 days of acceptance. So many students ignore this deadline and find themselves on a waitlist for housing. That makes for a stressful spring/summer before starting college.
lee6666, thanks for the reply. I called the TAMU Housing folks this morning. They confirmed we’ve done everything right so far. Now we just have to wait on until May/June.
In case anyone’s interested, we signed up my son early this morning for a NSC session next July on the AIS and it still showed a red “X” (not a green check mark) for “Housing Choice Completed” on the AIS system. I asked TAMU Housing about this inconsistency and they told me that their systems are not tied directly into the AIS system so despite the fact that we completed the housing application correctly, it may take a day or two for the AIS system to change the red “X” to a green check mark…Just an FYI in case anyone else runs into this…
I am not sure how the housing system works. I understand that priority housing will be given to those who sign up within 30 days of admittance. I’ve also heard that you can make changes to the housing choices until May 1. So how does a specific option (like Hullabaloo) get full by Oct 1? Is this because its first come first served and there are enough that signed up early and had that option as their first choice come May 1?
@Axonta, Hullabaloo has capacity for 640 students. While students’ official housing assignments are not released until May/June, Residence Life is busy assigning students to residence halls/rooms in the order their housing applications are received. Residence Life has stated that since Hullabaloo was built in 2013, they have had in excess of 640 students apply with Hullabaloo as their first choice within three weeks of the housing application process opening (around the first week of October). After Hullabaloo is “full”, they go on to your second choice, and third, etc. Yes, there is some movement as students have until May 1 to change their preferences and this does happen in cases where a student finds someone he/she wants to room with in another dorm, but I think that’s minimal. So timing of your housing application (it is date and time stamped) is important.
@lee6666, thank you for the response. Its difficult to make an informed choice regarding the residence hall options based on the information available online. It would help to have some feedback from actual experience. Setting Hullabaloo aside, what would be the seriatim of residence hall options for an engineering freshman?
@Axonta, Many freshman engineering students select Mosher because it houses the LLC (Living Learning Community) for Engineering. This offers peer tutoring/mentoring for those in the freshman engineering classes. You can read about it here: https://engineering.tamu.edu/easa/programs/ellc My son was not in Mosher, however, and didn’t feel at a disadvantage.
@lee6666, Thanks for the ELLC link. Based on this, if you sign up for the Engineering LLC, you cannot have Hullabaloo as your first choice (because Mosher becomes your default first choice).
That is correct. @Axonta . Our neighbor is a sophomore in engineering and she chose a modular dorm for her freshman year. She didn’t feel disadvantaged not being part of the LLC. My son is in Mosher, as are two of his friends from our town. He would have been fine anywhere and they all chose it more because we mom’s wanted them to. Just in case. They wanted to rent a house freshman year. The mentorship and tutoring can be very beneficial if you need it and some kids need help adjusting to being homesick and then all the stress of school. Knowing yourself is a great guide. You will meet fellow engineering students in your classes as well so not living in Mosher won’t put you at a disadvantage. You will also meet people in your non engineering classes.
A lot of people I have spoken to and see on the current aggie mom and dad FB page is the modular dorms. The commons, while not as spacious, will be fabulous when construction ends in August. 10 kids that graduated with my son are in the commons and as little as they are there, they have been great. Far from decent dining tho since the common area is closed.
Most students move off campus after their freshman year, which is another challenge in itself with off campus housing. A lot of places book up with fall leases by Christmas break and some sooner. Notices to renew or relinquish for current residents are currently going out. So, heads up for next year.
I applied for a deferral of the $300 housing deposit about a month ago. The page said that it will notify me whether or not I have received it. Where am I supposed to look for this notification? I also finished the application but cannot select a room yet. When can I expect to be able to select a room?