<p>Did anyone get that notice in the mail about sending in a $50 housing deposit by Feb. 1st? I don't get the reasoning behind that, you don't even have to commit to the school until May 1st.</p>
<p>No, nor did we get the e-mail with the link for the honors program application.....Did you?</p>
<p>Yes, my son got that housing notice as well. We are visiting shortly before the Feb. 1 deadline, so if he likes UW, we'll go ahead and submit our housing deposit while we're there. I think they do it that way to ensure that you get housing priority. It's not a firm commitment to attend.</p>
<p>You need to get the housing deposit in by the deadline they give you if you want to live in the University Residence Halls- remember you are signing a legal contract (see the info online or sent to you for the details), refunds if you do not attend UW- Madison and notify Res Halls in writing. Apparently there is a state law which guarantees on campus housing to state residents who apply before March 15th, therefore if you miss your deadline and are OOS you could be out of luck (I suspect there were complaints due to instate students not being able to get in the dorms some years ago that generated this, remember this is a public U, primary responsibility to Wisconsin people- we benefit from the diversity gained with OOS students). You need to remember that it takes time for large institutions to process everything, they need the deadlines. Also remember that it is your responsibility to inform both UW and Res Halls separately in writing if you make refundable deposits and want your money back if you don't attend.</p>
<p>Please check on this site's previous threads on housing for a lot of insight- the information is still relevant and some of us were as helpful as we could be then but get tired of repeating ourselves so may not be as helpful when people ask the same questions again. As always, read the --- "manual", there is an easily accessible wealth of information on the UW website regarding admissions and residence halls. Trust a mother who knows the campus from eons ago to be able to evaluate the info- and if I can find it with my computer skills every college bound senior can.</p>
<p>O'mom- remember that classes will start Jan 22 so you could drop off forms in person (Res Halls offices are in the Slichter Hall basement- one of the lakeshore dorms, you can also ask questions)- presuming you visit when classes are in session.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the responses, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>wis75: so if I don't end up attending Wisconsin, I can get a refund as long as I notify them in writing? I understand the reasoning behind them getting the info out quickly, but $50 here and there for housing deposits at universities I may not even attend add up quickly. And I will definitely read the reviews, thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>rodney: no, I assumed the honors stuff came out later. I didn't read through all of the info yet though, so if I see it in there I'll let you know. I may have just missed it.</p>
<p>Wis, we'll be there the following week, so classes will indeed be in session. If he's interested, we plan to drop off the housing deposit in person and get a receipt. Saves a stamp, too ;)</p>
<p>Rodney, my son got an email about L&S Honors about a week or so after his online acceptance. The email directed him to a webpage, suggesting he apply for honors online. They take applications until March 1, and acceptance is competitive.</p>
<p>oregonianmom: Thanks for the link! </p>
<p>We received the housing packet yesterday...A bit confusing, I might add since we also recieved something about Lucky101....I know we need to do much more research about all of this, but we will probably not get a chance to visit before the Feb 1 deadline.....If we send in the $50, do we have to request certain housing at that time or is it just to hold a spot? And thank you, Wis75 for pointing out the refund situation.....</p>
<p>Requiring a housing/college deposit forces people to be serious about their choices, eliminating many of those with no intention of using the facilities- just think about how easy it is to apply to so many colleges because of online applications; if only a mouse click were required to reserve a spot in a school or dorm after acceptance it would be a lot harder for schools to know how many people are likely to really come- remember there are two sides to the admissions process, the institutions need to think many months ahead (consider this, you will know your dorm and roommate by early June, and with the lottery system used will have an equal chance at your first choice regardless of when yoy get accepted). You do send in your rankings for housing choices, they will send you confirmation of them and let you change your rankings in the spring- so don't panic about mistakes made now or changes desired later. I think the final decisions you will make will be by May 1st, they run everything through the computer in May (after everyone knows where they are accepted to college and has decided where to go, and has had a chance to revise their dorm choices) so people will know which dorm they are in before the first SOAR session.</p>
<p>There is no guarantee that you will get your top choice of dorm so be prepared with several choices, usually in the same area (lakeshore/southeast). Once you sign a contract you are committed, unless you do not attend. Definitely think the public dorms for that on campus freshman experience. Location, food service, support-housefellows et al ... Remember to look closely at private dorm amenities listed- some may be those available to every student, regardless of where they live. Air conditioning is not an essential for most of the school year, nor are huge rooms, etc. Living in Res Halls exposes a student to a wide variety of lifestyles/budgets they would be isolated from in private dorms. A good learning experience - eg meeting scholarship/work study students and wealthy ones all on one's floor... Gotta go now (hot water should be there again) if I expect to make the round trip to Madison in a reasonable time frame...</p>