<p>Please post questions here.</p>
<p>Thank you for offering your time to answer questions from incoming students. My daughter was accepted to Rutgers SEBS, does plan to attend. Can you briefly outline the timeline and procedure to housing placement? How does the housing lottery work? Can one pick which dorm he/she prefers? Does it matter if you accept the admission now or in April? </p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Incoming freshman do not take part in the lottery system. For freshman housing, you fill out a housing application where you rank the various campuses in order of preference and fill out a short survey that is used to try to match the student with a roommate who shares similar habits (early bird or night owl, smoker/non smoker among other things). You can’t specify an actual dorm, just the campus you would prefer (Busch, Livingston, College Ave, Cook, Douglass). If the student wants to live with a particular person, they can indicate that on the form and they will be matched as roommates. Housing notifications typically come out in late July/early August. I do not remember off hand when the applications are due, but in general you want to submit it as early as possible to have a better shot at getting your preferred campus.</p>
<p>There are special housing programs which require separate applications, such as the Douglass Residential College, B.E.S.T., and various Living Learning Communities (LLCs). The Rutgers Housing website has some good info on the whole process.</p>
<p>Thank you, Rhetorical, for that very detailed answer.</p>
<p>Here is the info for new students page: [Rutgers</a> Residence Life - Rutgers Residence Life](<a href=“http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/]Rutgers”>http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/) Note* when you click on this link you will see all available housing. Freshman are only housed in dorms unless you secure honors housing, in which case suites are available. Apartments are limited to upperclassmen and those with special needs.</p>
<p>In the past, applications have come out sometime in March for freshman housing. As Rhetorical said, you want to get that in early. Livingston campus dorms typically fill up last because they have a lot of volume, although the campus has become more popular recently with the newer dining hall and various businesses that are now open on campus.</p>
<p>For upperclassmen: Fall 2014 lottery process</p>
<p><a href=“http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/lottery[/url]”>http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/lottery</a></p>
<p>All eligible students who wish to live on the New Brunswick campus are required to apply for a lottery number between Monday, January 20th, 2014 and Tuesday, January 28th, 2014. The date and time you apply does not affect your lottery number.</p>
<p>[Lottery</a> Application Process - The Lottery Process - Rutgers Residence Life](<a href=“http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/lottery/lottery-application-process]Lottery”>http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/lottery/lottery-application-process)</p>
<p>Thank you rualum for your help. My son will be a junior next year and has decided to live off campus, but I’m still making him apply for a lottery number. I’m just afraid he will change his mind later on. Am I wrong for making him apply??</p>
<p>Thank you for the link, Rualum, it indicates that incoming freshman do not need the lottery, rather wait until mid-Feburary to apply via the Enrollment Pathway. But if the student has not officially sent in the acceptance, can he/she still apply for housing? My daughter is still undecided on which college to attend, but does not want to miss out on the housing situation.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, to my knowledge you cannot apply for housing without first accepting admission, so it would be in your child’s best favor to make a decision sooner rather than later. Don’t feel pressured to decide prematurely though. Freshman year I ended up applying for housing in late April and still received good housing.</p>
<p>for mytwosons, there is no harm in applying for a lottery number, so you definitely made the right decision, Getting a lottery number is in no way binding, so you may as well apply. Maybe a favorable lottery number will make your son opt for on campus housing. Keep in mind that the lottery system changed last year and now seniority takes a huge roll in determining housing, making the lottery number itself less important.</p>
<p>Rhetorical is correct. </p>
<p>mytwosons I would definitely have him apply for a number (I would tell all students to apply for a number. If you do not apply, and have to go on the waitlist, you will be assigned last, and you may not get an assignment until the school year has already started). It doesn’t commit him to anything. He is only committed when he or his group accept an assignment. </p>
<p>If he really wants to live off-campus, I would have him get a number and then he can apply for a single if he doesn’t find anything suitable off-campus. If he dropped out at that point, his other potential group mates would not have to scramble. </p>
<p>If he is in a group with current juniors and a decent number, he would probably be able to select Livingston apts, which are very desirable. Last year every (future) all-senior group was able to select Livingston apts, as well as some groups with 1 (future) junior. </p>
<p>If he is committed to living off-campus, start looking now. Many off-campus spots fill up before or during spring break, when all lottery choices have been made by upperclassmen.</p>
<p>If he does get a lottery number, and he selects a spot in a building, it is considered a binding contract. He will not be allowed to change his spot to another building if he finds another group or changes his mind.</p>
<p><a href=“http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/files/documents/lotterycalendar.pdf[/url]”>http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/files/documents/lotterycalendar.pdf</a></p>
<p>[Search</a> / Create Listings | Off-Campus Housing Services](<a href=“http://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu/searchcreate-listings/search-create-listings]Search”>Search / Create Listings – Off-Campus Living and Community Partnerships)</p>
<p><a href=“https://twitter.com/ResKnights[/url]”>https://twitter.com/ResKnights</a></p>
<p>There is also a Rutgers Resident Knights fb page that we are not allowed to post.</p>
<p>rualum, thank you so much again for your help.
Is it really cheaper to live off campus? His 4 other friends want to do it bc of money and I m totally against it.</p>
<p>It really depends on where you choose to live off campus and in what arrangement. The cheapest housing on campus (dorms or suites) costs around $7200 for the year. An equivalent off campus 12 month lease would be $600 a month. Keep in mind that utilities must also be paid. If your son were to live in say a double either off of Cook campus or College Ave, then rent would typically be around $400 a month but it varies greatly. A typical single room on College Ave is closer to say $550. The biggest savings by living off campus comes from not being required to have a meal plan. The 210 meal plan for example works out to about $10 per meal, which is obviously a lot more expensive than if you were cooking your own food.</p>
<p>One of the bigger concerns with living off campus is safety, which is what causes most parents to feel uneasy about having their students live off campus. In general, the areas of New Brunswick between College Ave and Easton Ave are fairly safe and occupied by mostly college students. The rentals in this area are in high demand though, so options at this point are limited.</p>
<p>In short, living off campus CAN be more cost effective than living off campus. It really depends a lot on where you choose to live and if you will be sharing a room. If you want to live in the more desirable areas of College Avenue and also have a single room, than the cost will probably be closer to living on campus. In these cases, the only savings is from the lack of meal plan.</p>
<p>Rhetorical13, thank you!</p>
<p>I agree with Rhetorical.</p>
<p>I want to add that if your son finds a place off-campus, I would look at it before making a commitment. You’ll have to do this quickly as once they find a place, they will need to decide on it and make a deposit. Many of the rentals are not well-maintained. There have been several newer ones built, but they may be more expensive.</p>
<p>My friends’ son lived off-campus for several years and the biggest obstacle was getting the group to agree on a place. Some wanted a certain location, others wanted to spend less money, etc. Many times the group you start out with will not be the one you end up with, unless you are exceptionally organized.</p>
<p>Personally, I was happy that my son chose to live on campus this year (he is in an apartment). I don’t have to worry about security, maintenance, or him having to pick up someone else’s part of the rent/utility bill. And when the semester is over, he just moves out. To me, that extra $$ is worth it.</p>
<p>He gets the 50 meal plan ($775 per semester, currently) and makes some of his own meals or gets takeout on occasion. [New</a> Brunswick / Piscataway - Meal Plans - Rutgers University Dining Services](<a href=“http://food.rutgers.edu/meal-plans/new-brunswick-piscataway]New”>http://food.rutgers.edu/meal-plans/new-brunswick-piscataway)</p>
<p>Minimum Requirements
The university housing agreement specifies that students must have the minimum requirements below.
First Year students in residence halls must have a minimum 210 plan.
Upperclass students in residence halls must have a minimum 110 plan.</p>
<p>Apartment residents are not required to have any meal plan, but I find the 50 meal plan convenient and not excessive.</p>
<p>I would highly recommend girls in SEBS consider applying for Douglas Residential College. (others should consider it too). The Katzenbach dorm is very convenient to the Neilsen Dining Hall and has a bus stop out front. D1 was there and it was much cleaner than a friend we visited in Perry. </p>
<p>Sophomore year, she was in the Henderson Apartments, which are also a good deal, as it’s a true 9 month lease with no meal plan required. At first they looked a bit far from campus, but turned out to be convenient, plus they are huge with a full kitchen.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies.
I really want him to stay on campus and I do agree that the extra money is well worth it. I want to have my peace of mind and I don’t mind paying for it. Praying his friends will change their minds and decide to live on campus.</p>
<p>How does special housing work? For students who have special needs?</p>
<ol>
<li>Do they get the specific hall or apartments they want? Or are they placed by campus preference? Or are they placed randomly?</li>
<li>Do they get to choose their roommates? Or are they just placed with random other people?</li>
</ol>
<p>Thank You</p>
<p>I think special request housing is assigned before the general lottery, so you would be late in applying now, but you can go here and find contact info:</p>
<p><a href=“http://housing.rutgers.edu/ie/files/undergradguide.pdf”>http://housing.rutgers.edu/ie/files/undergradguide.pdf</a></p>
<p>Scroll down to page 14:</p>
<p>If you would like to submit a Special Housing Request, you must submit a Special Housing Request Form available
on our web site at: <a href=“http://housing.rutgers.edu/ie”>http://housing.rutgers.edu/ie</a>. Your application will be reviewed, and if approved, we will
determine an appropriate assignment based on availability in housing. Applicants with questions or concerns
about living on campus on the New Brunswick Campus should contact Joan D’Orvilliers at 732-932-4371.
Special Housing Request forms should be submitted via fax to: 732-932-4377, Attention Jennifer Frost.</p>
<p>It is for students with specific needs. You should go to the link and read the section titled ‘special housing requests’ in red. I am pretty sure that you get to choose your roommates.</p>
<p>If you can, please post your current year (freshman, soph, etc) your lottery number, and what housing assignment you got.</p>
<p>Good luck everyone~</p>