<p>My D is a freshman this year in Anderson. She just received her lottery number and is disappointed because she doesn’t think she will get in the dorm she wants for next year (the new dorm Cassell.) We have said from the beginning that she must live on campus for 2 years and now she is trying to convince us she should move into the Berkshire apartments off campus.</p>
<p>Can any of you parents who are further along in this journey give me some insight into the pros and cons of on campus vs. off campus, safety of the Berkshire apartments, the merits of Centennial (which she says she doesn’t like for some reason) or any of the other dorms available to sophomores?</p>
<p>I told her to find out all the information and we would discuss it more. I want to keep an open mind, but I’m skeptical of moving off campus before you are an upperclassman.</p>
<p>If your daughter is anxious to move off-campus, chances are many of her friends are planning on doing so. She would not want to move campus if she did not have friends to live with. Many sophomores live in the Berks and are quite happy with their choice. However, I think (and I may be wrong), once you move off campus you cannot move back. Is she certain she wants to spend the next three years off campus? </p>
<p>My daughter has the opposite problem. She is a junior who is unhappy with her lottery number and she does not want to move off campus. To top it off, most of her friends are either moving off campus or going abroad in the fall. There can be many problems associated with housing but I have decided to let her work it out. If she wanted to move off campus I would not be happy, but I would accept her decision. However, the only reason I would be unhappy is because she studies in the library and stays there until the middle of the night. Living on campus in that situation is more convenient and safer.</p>
<p>How bad is her number? My daughter said there were some floors in Cassell reserved for sophomores. She seems to think her group has a decent chance of getting a suite there, but they’re happy enough with the idea of a suite in Centennial instead. I think the Centennial suites aren’t really suites–they’re just two one-room doubles that share a bath. In Cassell, there’s a common room as well.</p>
<p>My daughter said a number of people she knows aren’t trying for Cassell because they are worried it won’t be ready to move in when classes start. </p>
<p>She does know several people moving off-campus, though. One of her friends already moved out of Hughes and into an off-campus apartment for this semester. In fact, her rooming group is four people, currently living in four different doubles with four different roommates. Out of the four roommates they’re NOT living with next year, only one will return to AU housing in the fall. One’s transferring, two are moving off-campus, and one is staying in Hughes.</p>
<p>My D lives in the Berks with 3 roommates in a 2 bedroom/2 bath apt. It is a large apt but a few small issues (bugs, mold in the bathroom) and, as with a lot of college apts, the management is not particularly responsive. The building is convenient to classes, although they have to walk to campus to get the shuttle to Tenleytown. The biggest issue, if they don’t have a car, is getting groceries. D has ordered groceries online, or bums a ride to Safeway from a friend, when she can. </p>
<p>The other issue with having an apartment is that it is a 12 month contract so, if you child wants to come home for the summer, or, like my D, study abroad, they will have to find a sub-letter. </p>
<p>Expense? With 4 people in a 2 bedroom, we are paying about $750 a month + $250 for food and such. So, we save a little over AU room and board costs.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Every little bit of input is helpful. Right now, she has 3 people in her group and the lowest number they have between them is 1500 something. I told her that they need to find a friend with a low number to pull in as a 4th Yes, there are floors at Cassell reserved for sophomores, but she seems to think they will all be gone by the time they get to choose. I am encouraged that housing is guaranteed for sophomores. She ultimately wants to live in Nebraska because of its location right by Katzen, so she really has to continue with university housing to be eligible to get a spot there her junior year. Consequently, if she did move to the Berks next year, it would have to be through the university housing, not renting directly from the apartment management. The online reviews I have read about the Berks make it sound horrible, but I’m sure people exaggerate on those. </p>
<p>Of course, the other challenge here is determining how much to get involved and how much to let her handle this process. Ultimately, it is my money, but it is an important life skill to make these kind of decisions. We will see how it all turns out!</p>
<p>My D is currently a sophomore living in a double at McDowell. She seems to like it there but I think she’s learned that it is more important to find a group of friends who mesh well together. She found a really good roommate for her second semester of her first year who is very much like her and they decided to room together as sophomores and now they plan to room with four others in a suite at Cassell. Because they live in McDowell and had to put up with the construction of Cassell, they got priority for Cassell. I am quite relieved that she’ll have on campus housing as I was worried that housing was not guaranteed for juniors and seniors.</p>
<p>For all freshman parents – EVERYONE wants to live in Cassell Hall. I think it’d be in your best interest for your S/D to not get Cassell considering it will cost even more than what ridiculous price we pay for housing already… Plus only a few people will get in… If you’re not in the first hundreds or so of your class I wouldn’t give it a thought…</p>
<p>Rising sophomores seem to have 3 floors reserved for them in Cassell (2nd, 3rd, 4th) so there should be a decent amount of availability.</p>
<p>However, I disagree with the statement that everyone wants to live in Cassell. My son is in Hughes this year (freshman) and he is looking to live in McDowell next year. That’s fine with me, since I’m not 100% convinced that Cassell will be completely ready or 100% functional by move-in day. Also there may be glitches for those living in a building when it is brand new and has never been lived in. The school is telling students upfront that if they choose Cassell, they reserve the right to place them in temporary housing if their room (or the building) is not available. Sounds disruptive, and would not be a good way to start a school year.</p>
<p>There are fewer than 60 beds on each floor, so even with three floors reserved, there is only space for 180 sophomores…out of 1200…so, yes, I think one would have to have a very good lottery number even if it’s not the place EVERYONE wants to live. My daughter’s rooming group’s best number is in the low 900’s, but it occurs to me that everyone before them is probably pulling in 3 people with lower numbers…so I guess their chances aren’t so good.</p>
<p>They don’t mind taking the risk of being displaced for a few weeks. They have friends off-campus they can stay with.</p>
<p>Yes, my D and her 3 friends are willing to take the risk to get a spot in Cassell as well. However, even though they now have 4 in their group, their lowest number is 1400 something so I think the chances are almost none for them. They are coming up with their alternative plans.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if “guaranteed housing” for sophomores includes possibly placing them in the Berkshire apartments, if there is nothing left on campus? We would very much prefer they stay on campus next year.</p>
<p>@Kelly - Berks is always open every year. 1400 isn’t too bad. I once got 1948 and still had housing options in Leonard and Anderson (although it was the Terrace I think)… I think your D will be fine</p>
<p>My daughter is freshman this year, and is also hoping to get into Cassell. She said that there are suites for 6 students and also for 4 students. She is part of a group of 6 that want to room together next semester. Does anyone know how many rooms there are for a group of 6 in Cassell? The lowest lottery number in their group is about 1050. I am guessing that there would be more groups of 4 trying to get a room than groups of 6. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>SO…my D got to choose her room today. Unfortunately, no suites left by the time their group of 4 got to select, so they had to break up their group. Had to skip class to go back later with her pair because they had the higher numbers. Ended up getting a room in McDowell, but it is a Terrace room. My understanding is that “terrace” is the fancy word for basement. My question is this: anyone ever had a Terrace room? Are there windows in a basement dorm room?</p>
<p>KellyLJ1 - My DD lived in Anderson Terrace this past semester. Yes it had windows and was perfectly fine; it is the basement, however. She now lives in an apt off campus.</p>
<p>I can’t believe what happened to my D at housing selection today. She and her roommate (sophomores next year) had high lottery numbers (over 2000). We weren’t too worried - they weren’t looking for the hard to get rooms. When it was time to choose, the only rooms left were in Roper and Clark - the special housing! This happened to over 70 rising sophomores! They had to fill out preference forms and may not find out until June or July what their housing is! Very poor planning and very angry and upset students.</p>
<p>I’m curious–what’s so awful about those dorms? I’m not familiar with them, but see from the website they are newly renovated and on the main campus.</p>
<p>Thanks, raider111. As long as there are windows, I don’t see any problem with the basement/ terrace. By the time she got up there, she was thrilled to get any room at all as she was hearing that they were running out. I’m wondering what they thought would happen when they started the lottery process by giving out more numbers than they had rooms? I am curious also about the problems with Roper and Clark? And if they got rooms there, then why did they have to fill out preference cards? They are really going to have a mess on their hands if Cassell isn’t ready on time!</p>
Yes, there are floors at Cassell reserved for sophomores, but she seems to think they will all be gone by the time they get to choose. I am encouraged that housing is guaranteed for sophomores. She ultimately wants to live in Nebraska because of its location right by Katzen, so she really has to continue with university housing to be eligible to get a spot there her junior year. Consequently, if she did move to the Berks next year, it would have to be through the university housing, not renting directly from the apartment management. The online reviews I have read about the Berks make it sound horrible, but I’m sure people exaggerate on those. </p>