<p>Once you get accepted, how does this process work and stuff? Do you get to pick your own room-mate? or will they assign you one? will you get to put someone as your room-mate as first choice for consideration? is that option available for incoming freshman? how does the housing thing work?</p>
<p>Any Wash U students out there, an answer would really help!!!</p>
<p>They send all the paperwork with the acceptance letter; there is a form to fill out about roommates. I think if you know someone you could request to be with her/him, but I’m not sure; my kids didn’t know anyone before going there, they just got their suitemates/roommates assigned.</p>
<p>Early Decision students will be mailed their room and board applications. Don't know if Regular Decision students receive the applications at the same time as their acceptance letters...</p>
<p>When you fill out the application, it will ask the student to prioritize choices between modern and traditional dorms, and single/double/triple - so 6 choices that must be ranked. My eldest daughter chose modern double, modern triple, traditional double, traditional triple, modern single, traditional single. You could also choose substance free, should you desire.</p>
<p>A series of questions are asked to help match you up with a roommate: How messy are you? How/where do you like to study? Are you a night owl or morning person? On a side note, my daughter did not mark herself as "very messy" when she filled out her form. I asked her why she said that she was not messy, when all of us in the family know she is... and she replied, "well sure I'm messy, but I don't want to live with someone that is very messy." Hmmmm. Fortunately, her roommate situation turned out very well. She wasn't best friends with her roommate, but it sounds as though they got along and were considerate of each other. It seemed that kids who roomed together, who had known each other and been friends beforehand, had a more difficult time getting along. </p>
<p>Over half the dorms are modern, and the oldest traditional dorm is being torn down. A floor of each dorm will be substance free. Traditional dorms have the reputation of being more social. Modern dorms are newer with more creature comforts. From what I can tell, the LOVE of the freshman dorm colors the entire Wash U experience, and everybody seems to love their dorm, wherever they end up.</p>
<p>My son answered the question about when he goes to bed honestly; no earlier than 1am, usually later. He was paired with a roommate who turned his light out at 11 pm. So, either the other person lied about his sleep habits, or WUSTL ignored the questionnaire.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm sort of like Cressmom's kids... I'm from the east, I pretty much know nobody from the midwest, and only two of my friends are applying with me, so I'm afraid they might put me with someone I'm totally not compatible with. But yeah, thank you NUGraduate! I had no idea they gave questionnaires to match students. I'm really unfamiliar with the entire process, so it eases my mind a lot that I don't have to worry too much about getting randomly assigned. I don't plan on visiting the dorms until I get accepted (hopefully), but it's great to hear that the housing is nice. I just hope what happened to martharap's son doesn't happen to me... I'm a night owl to the highest level!</p>
<p>just to correct NUgraduate, umrath is NOT the oldest dorm. My current dorm beaumont is, and I absolutely love it. LIVE IN TRADITIONAL. IT WILL BE THE BEST CHOICE YOU CAN MAKE!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>On the roommate side, WashU does try and respect the questionnaire. However, there will be circumstances that there is not a "perfect" fit or where the ball might have been dropped. On compatibility, one of the really great aspects of dorm life is becoming a roommate with someone that you've never met before and learning how to adapt. Choosing a roommate may give an incoming freshman a comfort zone, however, imho, it would deny that person one of the great aspects of dorm life.....learning to live with people that may be nothing like you.</p>
<p>As for modern/traditional.....personal choice. My S is a freshman in a modern and he loves it there.</p>
<p>Ya, I hear you manjaap... a lot of people seem to say that the Wash U traditional dorms are more "social" and the modern dorms more comfortable. </p>
<p>But what exactly makes the traditional dorms "less comfortable" or lacking the certain "creature comforts" that the modern dorms have, though? Do they have wireless internet in the older dorms? I also heard something about the air conditioning not being good or something of the sort...</p>
<p>mtldad: I totally agree with you, I'm just going to let the dice roll with my roommate. I'm generally good with adapting with other people, but a part of me would prefer rooming with another hispanic person, at least just for my freshman year.. It would feel more like home with another latina, not that I would have a problem with any other person, though. Sometimes it's nice to relate to someone on a cultural level :)</p>
<p>A major "comfort" difference between the old and new dorms is the bathroom set up. The old dorms have communal single sex bathrooms in the halls, while the new dorms have two double rooms with a connecting bathroom (so four people share one bathroom and do not have to go out into the hallway to use it). This bathroom set up makes it more like an apartment and hence the feeling that it can be less social. By having hallway bathrooms, the old dorms "force" you to get out of your room and see other people!</p>
<p>As for living with someone of your ethnic background, unless you have a fellow hispanic who you mutually request to live with, the school is not going to purposely put you with a hispanic. Most universities value diversity and purposely pairing similar racial/ethnic students would be viewed as a form of prejudice. If you are eager to meet fellow hispanics while at WashU, I would encourage you to join one of the hispanic focused clubs or organizations.</p>