<p>I know that incoming students can input their top three residence hall choices on their Housing application. But I was wondering if anyone has a sense of when the form should be turned in by to avoid being stuck in a “forced triple” room.</p>
<p>Also how are roommates assigned for incoming Freshmen? One thing that concerned me is that I remember, from when we went on a tour at AU, the tourguide made it sound like the Freshman roommate assignments are fairly random, and that there wasn’t much of any questionnaire for the incoming students to fill out to give a sense of their lifestyle, habits and potential compatibility. To any current students: How did this work out during your Freshman year? Do a lot of Freshmen end up switching roommates, generally speaking? If there are ongoing roommate conflicts, how well are they handled by the RA’s, by the Housing Office, etc?</p>
<p>I'd love to hear a little about this as well. I turned in my housing app a few days ago and was kind of surprised at the lack of questions regarding lifestyle. On other housing applications, it asked about neatness, the time we get up/go to bed...as well as numerous other preferences. I'm a little nervous about the totally random assignments.</p>
<p>^Exactly. I remember all too well from my own college days how unpleasant it can be, as well as how much it can interfere with your schoolwork, when there is an ongoing conflict with a roommate. No questionnaire can guarantee compatibility, but I'd really like my daughter to start off college on the right foot to the extent possible.</p>
<p>It's always a good idea to talk to your roommate beforehand. I think there's a pamphlet during orientation of questions you can go over with your roommate(s) after you've been assigned one, but there isn't one for matching you up with someone compatible with you.</p>
<p>Yeah, the questionare is pretty minimal and therefore the roommate pairing is pretty random. However, this really is not a bad thing. A study was done that proved that student happiness with their roommates is the same when comparing those who had a questionnare and those that did not. So it's not something to stress too much about. I know very few people who are not happy with their roommates. </p>
<p>As for when to hand in your form, just make sure it is in before the deadline. Those that make it in late, are the most likely to end up in the triples. Even a week before is good, but otherwise theres no definitive advantage. </p>
<p>Roomate pairing is done based on when you submit your deposit. Pay your deposit earlier to avoid a triple. There's been studies done and roomate happiness based on having a questionnaire vs. not isn't all that different. I think AU did questionnaires one year and decided that it didn't really make any difference.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at AU this year and was stuck in a miserable triple up until about a month ago. Being in a triple really wouldn't have been that bad if I'd ended up with two cool roommates, but the rooms are built for two, definitely not three. My advice is to turn in your housing application and put down a deposit as soon as possible. It's really the deposit that matters the most. </p>
<p>It's pretty easy to be detripled though, especially once you get into the spring semester. So even if you do end up in a triple, it's just a matter of getting one of your roommates to move out or doing it yourself. Although, one perk of being in a triple was that I payed about $1000 less for housing per semester.</p>
<p>Yep, I remember from my own college days, forced triples are not a good thing. Unfortunately, too often, two of the roommates seem to become close and the third roommate becomes the outsider. swmass, that's great that you and your 2 roommates are compatible, but to be honest, I really hope, if my D does come to AU, that she can avoid being placed into a triple. Regarding the timing of the deposit, we weren't planning to submit a deposit until my D has had a chance to revisit the campus, which won't be until at least Freshman Day, which is in the middle of April--I hope that this isn't too late.</p>
<p>ck8734: I hope that your housing situation is better now.</p>