Housing lottery rant...

<p>D1's school housing lottery is over and she is without a roommate or room for next year. 2 different people pulled the rug out from under her at the last minute causing her to miss the deadline to apply for a traditional dorm room. I don't understand why they put the desirable options at the end of the process and traditional stuff at the beginning. </p>

<p>She's quite upset and feels she will end up on the party campus, which would be a disaster on many levels. She's a quiet, unassertive kid, who had a lousy number and was rejected for a single room. I keep telling her it will work out, as they have to have spaces set aside for transfer students who aren't even accepted.</p>

<p>She wants me to call housing this morning to plead her case, as she is too upset to make the call. I have not been a helicopter parent, but will make the call this morning. Anyone else ever had a similar problem?</p>

<p>If she is asking you to call, I think you should call. hugs.</p>

<p>Housing is just too expensive and important to leave up in the air.</p>

<p>I would definitely call.</p>

<p>It is really infuriating that they think it’s okay to just leave kids hanging, especially those who should be further up the pecking order as they are going into their second year.</p>

<p>I would not call for her but I would talk with her about what she should ask/say. She will have a better response from the housing office that way.</p>

<p>I would probably call before i even thought about it…but from the outside I think the poster who said housing would have a better response is probably right. Some of these people are a little weird about stuff. Go over with her what to say. Maybe tell her to write it down and read from a script, with replies to anticipated remarks and stuff. If it doesn’t go well THEN you should call, at least you can say that she called…Maybe there is space in a dorm/room she didn’t request, like an honors dorm, or substance free or something. Good luck.</p>

<p>My son doesn’t even know anybody to ask to live with. I’ve given advice. Can’t make him take it. I do have to remind him to at least pick the 3 buildings he’d like. I just this minute figured out he should at least find out where the people he does know are requesting, even if he feels funny asking to live with them. Maybe those people will end up being short a guy. Good idea to me, by me!</p>

<p>I definitely think your D needs to make the call for herself. If all the students in the school have now selected rooms, there must be rooms left that the housing office can put her into. Does the school guarantee housing for every year? Definitely encourage her to ask about wellness housing. Plenty of students DON’T want that, so that may be her easiest way to find a spot, even if it’s with someone who also still needs a roommate. What about students who are abroad? Have they also been assigned rooms for next year? This is another question she should ask. The housing office is there to serve her, and I am sure will be helpful…she really has nothing to fear! If it’s not too late, and if she is at all interested, you could also encourage her to apply for a position as an RA in a dorm…could help.</p>

<p>Similar thing happened to my D last year. It stinks, and I empathize with both of you.</p>

<p>Mine too last year. She had a great lottery number but one of her 2 intended roomies did not so their only on-campus option would have been a very expensive apartment. She found a much nicer townhouse within a few blocks for almost half the cost and loves being off campus now. IIRC, they were offered something by the school during the summer but had signed their lease by then.</p>

<p>Lotteries are a pain, but at least everyone has an equal chance of being burned;)</p>

<p>When this happened to my husband who was an out of state student, his brother, an alum, called and raised the roof about doing this to an out of state who was already paying double the in state rate and having his stuff shipped and such and that worked out. I don’t think it matters who calls. I just think it matters that you stay rational and get a solution. I loved living off campus. It was cheaper and the food was better since I cooked it myself. Good luck.</p>

<p>njmom I don’t understand; the doubles signup didn’t even happen yet. <a href=“http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/files/documents/lotterycalendar.pdf[/url]”>http://ruoncampus.rutgers.edu/files/documents/lotterycalendar.pdf&lt;/a&gt; Doubles (dorm applications) will be available beginning March 22.</p>

<p>The “desirable options” are singles and apartments. They just did singles and they are doing apartments now. There is plenty of time to sign up for other options and the Housing Office has posted that they expect everyone to get a room with no waitlist this year.</p>

<p>ps singles are prioritized by credits and I think your daughter is currently a freshman, so little to no chance of getting a single.</p>

<p>nj–how did your call go? Did you get satisfaction?</p>

<p>njmom let me know how your call goes, because if you’re successful, I’m going to call and complain that, once again, my son is not on his first choice campus.</p>