<p>when i visited w&m recently the tour guide said that you are only guaranteed housing 3/4 yrs of college but didn't really explain off-campus housing too well. is there easy access to off-campus housing if students aren't able to get on-campus housing? are students usually forced into this option or go off-campus by choice? is a car needed? any insight would be very helpful, thanks!</p>
<p>everyone who wants to live on campus gets on campus, at least that’s the way it has worked in recent (the last 5 at least) years. They way they do it is you pay your housing deposit, and you get a number. If more people put in a housing deposit than there are spaces for, some people get “bumped”. As people who paid their housing deposit finalize their off campus, or study abroad plans, they remove themselves from the list, and people who are “bumped” get reinstated. All the bumped people have got a spot on campus, but sometimes the spaces don’t come through until July or August, which is really late, and generally, you should probably have a place to live by then.</p>
<p>Roughly 2900 W&M students live on campus. Freshmen are guaranteed housing. Seniors are guaranteed housing if they want it. That is 2 years you are guaranteed. They “bump” both sophomores and juniors, but if you are bumped one year, you can’t be bumped again, so you can only be bumped either soph OR jr year, not both.</p>
<p>There are a fair number of houses within walking distance of campus. There are a couple of apartment complexes that students frequent, the Midlands and Governor’s Square (I think these are car distance). King and Queen’s, right behind Wawa has students, but there aren’t that many units.</p>
<p>Hopefully some of the new housing on Richmond Road will be student friendly.</p>
<p>Other options for bumped students include “interest housing” like, international dorm, language housing, etc. You can also “overcrowd” with 3 people in a large double room (I did this soph year) or 4 people in a large triple.</p>
<p>Students and Williamsburg are continually fighting over the rule that only 3 unrelated people can live in one house. Some choose to illegally break this law, often with the permission of the landlord.</p>
<p>thanks soccerguy!</p>
<p>Thanks for the info soccerguy.</p>
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<p>While others choose to legally break the law? E2EG</p>
<p>As opposed to legally breaking the spirit of the law through loopholes. </p>
<p>Possibly?</p>
<p>rofl</p>
<p>I think he was just trying to accentuate the illegality and didn’t realize his faux pas. I got your back soccerguy <em>puts fist in the air</em>.</p>
<p>haha I post here to try to help, and all I get is crap</p>
<p>jk K9 =P</p>
<p>thanks Lawsco, it’s good to have support.</p>
<p>I stand by my statement that “illegally break the law” is factually correct, so hah!</p>