<p>I know this is quite early to be thinking about housing, but I'm just so excited about officially going to William and Mary next year and am eager to plan! (I was just accepted through Early Decision.)</p>
<p>My question is: in the student housing survey for incoming freshman, how much power do we have over where we'll be living and who we'll be living with? What kinds of questions do they ask?</p>
<p>I know I want hall baths. I'd prefer a larger dorm hall. I should have AC because I have severe asthma and allergies, and I can get a medical note for that. Do I have control over any of these things?</p>
<p>In regards to roommates, I don't know of anyone who I'd like to room with at the moment, but there are people that I know are attending that I definitely don't want to room with. Can I specify these people so we won't be matched? What kinds of questions do they use to match you to your roommate?</p>
<p>Thanks for your time! This isn't really as dire of a subject as many on here, I'm just curious!</p>
<p>I’d like to know about our ability to choose our roommate/roommates as well. 2 of my friends were also accepted to W&M, so we’re hoping we have a chance to get a triple together.</p>
<p>Power over where you’ll be living: not much
Power over who you live with: No, you cannot tell the school that you absolutely do not want to live with certain people. But if you do end up with one them as a roommate, it is not the end of the world. A few weeks into the school year you are given the option to have a new roommate if things aren’t working out.But don’t forget you don’t need to be best friends with your roommate, just be able to tolerate them enough to live with them. And no, you cannot request two roomates, you can only request one. But as long as you request that person and they request you, you are 100% going to have them as a roommate.</p>
<p>The housing questionnaire asks very few (5 or 6) general questions, which I can’t completely remember, but they were things such as whether you went to bed early or late or if you smoke. (I think!)</p>
<p>I personally found my roommate on Facebook, as many people fill out much more in-depth surveys to make sure there is compatability in various different aspects of living together. This worked out fairly well for me, but no one in my dorm who did random had any problems. I actually recommend just doing random unless you already have a friend who you absolutely want to room with (If you choose someone from Facebook and it doesn’t work out, you have no one to blame but yourself AND it’s way more awkward to switch out to a new room :P) Keep in mind if you room with a high school friend you may cling onto them and not branch out and/or become annoyed with them because rooming with them was not exactly how you expected.</p>
<p>They do ask whether you want a large or small hall, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get what you want. Generally, I’d say the larger dorms are “better.” That’s just my opinion though, because I’m not fond of the Botetourt dorms (which is a general consensus, though) but other smalls dorms like Taliaferro can be nice. The people that live there don’t seem to be that unhappy. I live in Jefferson (a larger dorm) and really like it here 
Overall, the Freshman dorms aren’t as bad as you might think. Hall baths just depends on where you’re placed, and as I said you don’t have control over that. So you will just have to deal with hall or suite style baths if you get them, but most halls do have hall style.</p>
<p>As for AC, a note will definitely get you a unit but not necessarily a dorm with AC. A LOT of people have notes so I know they don’t always give people with notes AC dorms but since your case is severe I’m not sure if that’ll make a difference. Bring an AC unit either way because even in my dorm with AC, they turn it off in the fall and it can still get really hot in here! Especially at night.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Not much control, I’m afraid. Though if you find a willing roommate (over Facebook, for example), you can room with them. If not, it’s completely up to chance. </p>
<p>They ask you whether you prefer a large or small hall, but that’s about the end to your choices. If you have allergies that require AC and you end up in a hall without it, they will install a window AC for you. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The odds of you getting matched with anyone you know are very slim (unless you explicitly pick that person).</p>
<p>The freshman dorms at W&M aren’t too awful, but this is coming from someone who lived in Jefferson Basement freshman year. Back then, only the basement was freshman, so we were a tight-knit kind of dorm situation, and all of our functions were just us, as opposed to a massive group. Now that Jefferson is completely freshman, I suppose that’s changed. </p>
<p>From what I’ve heard of the other freshman dorms, however, you should be okay no matter what. The Botetourt dorms are a bit rough, or so I hear. And even the nicest ones have incredibly small rooms (I’m looking at you, Barrett). That was the primary reason I liked Jefferson. The rooms were fairly large for freshman dorms. </p>
<p>Anyway, don’t sweat too much over it.</p>