<p>I applied for a medical single at my school, and the housing director emailed me the other day saying there's a room available...in a freshmen dorm...(which happens to be the one I actually lived in when I was a freshman)...</p>
<p>I'm a junior/senior (started in Fall 2009, but graduating in December not May of this year), and I haven't lived in a dorm since I was a sophomore.</p>
<p>I really do like having a room to myself, it's good for me (right now, I'm living in a double, but without a roommate -- that's just how it worked out last semester)...and the housing director emailed me awhile ago saying I was getting a roommate, even though we had talked about why I didn't want one...and that's what led me to apply for the medical single.</p>
<p>So anyway, I don't know what to do. I really hated living in the dorms, and I've gotten used to apartment living. I like the freedom, and the fact that I don't have to deal with people screaming up and down the hallways at all hours of the night, and that I have a kitchen and can cook my own food and don't have to have a meal plan and go to the dining hall...</p>
<p>And the housing director herself said this: "I do have a duty to give people housing that is appropriate for them (ie. Not put a senior in a dorm with freshmen)."</p>
<p>So I emailed her back asking if there is any way I can stay in my apartment and not get a roommate since I am technically a senior...</p>
<p>She hasn't responded yet...but what if she says no?</p>
<p>I don't know if I should take the single or take the chance of getting a roommate...</p>
<p>Are there singles in the apartments? Unless the school has more on-campus housing space than students who want it, it is unlikely that they want to give you a double without a roommate.</p>
<p>… the director can’t make a room for you. You asked for a single and the one in the freshman dorm might be the only one available. </p>
<p>If she says no, she says no. They have rules about doubles needing to be doubled. They can’t keep that one a single for you because people are always looking for housing. It’s not fair for you to be in a double by yourself when there’s an open single. </p>
<p>You seem to have 2 options. You can stay in the apartment and get a roommate or you can go back to the freshman dorms. </p>
<p>If you’re a senior that means you’re almost done, yes? Can you tough it out for 4 months in one of them? Which do you need more, being in the apartment or being by yourself?</p>
<p>And also, it’s not fair for me to have to live in a freshman dorm just because I have different needs.</p>
<p>Also, I also know that there were a ton of people last semester who were living in doubles without roommates. When I moved, there was a space in every housing option on campus but 1 of the dorms…</p>
<p>It’s more fair than sticking me in a freshman dorm…</p>
<p>The housing director said herself that she needs to put people in appropriate housing…her example was even putting a senior in a dorm with freshman which is exactly what she is offering. Hypocritical much?</p>
<p>She likely has rules she needs to follow about putting people in singles. If you requested and were approved for a single, they need to put you in a designated single. This could be the only designated single available. </p>
<p>I know you’re angry about this but she’s likely just following the rules. Could you imagine the trouble she could get in if she forced someone who needed a single to have a roommate? Which is a real possibility if you live in a double. </p>
<p>“The housing director said herself that she needs to put people in appropriate housing”</p>
<p>If you requested a medical SINGLE and she is obligated to provide you a SINGLE, is it possible you are reading into what she said, to mean it would be inappropriate to place a senior with freshman versus her meaning the appropriateness of the accommodation for the stated medical condition which IMO would be more important than any age consideration. Taking care of a medical need seems more important than a need for “age consideration”. Her statement could mean just that…appropriate to the medical need. Just a thought. In any case, why worry about it until you know for sure?</p>
<p>If you mean for this spring, there probably is not a big selection of vacancies, so the only singles may be the ones in the freshman dorm. They are not likely to kick someone out of a single in an apartment to accommodate you.</p>
<p>They also won’t guarantee that the empty space in your double won’t be filled, since it is a vacancy that is available if someone wants to move into that particular housing. However, since most colleges have lower enrollment in the spring than the fall, there is a chance that the empty space in your double won’t be filled.</p>
<p>In other words, it may be physically impossible to guarantee all of your preferences.</p>
<p>You may have better luck for fall housing selection.</p>
<p>You requested a single. She gave you a single. It’s not her fault if the only single was in freshman housing. </p>
<p>It really is that simple. </p>
<p>She is not singling you out because of your special needs. She is likely following very strict ADA guidelines. It might even be ILLEGAL for her to keep you in that room with the possibility of getting a roommate.</p>
<p>She let me go the entire fall semester without giving me a roommate, so I don’t see why she should give me one now, especially since I have documentation from a doctor saying I should have a single.</p>
<p>^It seems as if this conversation is going in circles. The only reason you got a double without a roommate was pure luck; she didn’t go out of her way to give it to you. Should she reject a person applying for housing just because of your “situation/condition”? Do the needs of a person’s living situation fall beneath your preferences? I honestly don’t think so. I don’t really see the problem; it’s not as if she didn’t offer you an option. And if you’re wavering on whether to stay in the apartment or not, obviously your “condition” isn’t as serious as you make it out to be. Just brave it out for a few months in either one and switch out next semester.</p>
<p>Dorms have many problems including the fact that if you live in a dorm, you are required to have a meal plan. If I’m depressed, I’m not making it to the caf and therefore, I won’t eat since I won’t have access to a kitchen, and can’t decide at 11pm that I should eat something…</p>
<p>You applied for a medical single. You got a medical single. You did not apply for a medical single in only upperclassman dorms, nor only in dorms X, Y, or Z. Therefore, you have no right to be a whiny brat (which is a common theme for you anyways…so probably best you don’t have a roommate).</p>
<p>SDRL, what you need to also realize is that the school uses the revenue it takes in for room and board to run its housing. So the school expects to realize a certain income stream from a double, and a different income stream from a single. The school loses revenue by having only one person in a room intended to have two people in it. This semester? You were just lucky.</p>
<p>I am not sure what your medical condition is and if that condition actually requires that you have a single, or that you prefer to have a single. Assuming that you are currently in upper-class housing (from your horror at the possibility of having to live with freshmen), would it be so terrible to have a roomie? Are your medical needs so onerous that you could not work out an amenable arrangement with a roomie?</p>
<p>Of course, you could always offer to pay double to keep your double as a single…</p>
<p>You are graduating in a year, into the cold, cruel world where you will not always get accommodations for your emotional illness. You will have to learn to adapt to the world, instead of expecting it to adapt to you - like having drinks and microwaveable meals (even just a can of spaghettio’s) for those nights when you are too depressed to go to the cafeteria to eat. </p>
<p>The single in a freshman dorm is not ideal. But that’s what’s available. Deal with it as best you can, and use it as an opportunity for growth.</p>
<p>That was going to be my suggestion, too. If you have a medical need for a single, you’re entitled to a single, not to a double-at-single-prices.</p>
<p>You might also ask about a medical waiver of the requirement to live on-campus, if you can find more-suitable housing off-campus.</p>
<p>It’s easy enough to keep a little fridge with some milk, yogurt, fruit,etc and some cereal on hand in a dorm room. Also, an electric tea kettle for making soup works great. My D is a sophomore living as an RA in a freshman dorm, so she keeps some food in her room for when she doesn’t feel like going to the caf.</p>