Hi, I’m a student returning to the university after a leave of absence, and the Housing application/lottery is not going to be smooth.
Although I get to apply at the same time as incoming freshmen (March 30 5pm), my application will considered in July - if there are even any spots left.
I heard that West Campus Housing is super competitive - that it fills up within minutes of housing lottery. Do I even have a chance if I’m only going to be on the waitlist? What other options can I consider? I really need to be close to west campus, and most apartments nearby are at full capacity, plus I don’t have anyone to share apartments with.
Thank you
The housing lottery for upperclassmen (those looking to live on West Campus/dorms in collegetown) already passed, so my guess is that’s full by now. I have to imagine the only place they would maybe have room would be North Campus, either in the dorms or in the program houses (although I think you have to apply separately to those, and I don’t know if they would put you in North Campus dorms since those are reserved just for freshmen).
If they haven’t guaranteed you housing in any way, I would look into apartments. There are still apartments with spots left/people looking to sublet their apartment for the full year or on a semester by semester basis. Subletting might be your best bet because people get pretty desperate and will probably rent it to you for pretty cheap. There are a couple Cornell housing/subletting Facebook groups; I would suggest joining those.
Is there a certain reason you need to be near West Campus? There are apartments there that I’m sure people are looking to sublet, but obviously expanding your range will give you more options.
West campus is full! North campus only for freshmen. I recommend looking into a program house (they have single rooms) or a co-op
Actually, sometimes a spot will open up (study abroad, etc) but not generally. And also, there ARE some non freshmen students that live on North. I might try to find a sublet. My D has a friend that has an apartment rented in collegetown and won’t be there first semester next year due to a study abroad, so he sublet his place for a semester.