<p>Is on-campus housing guaranteed for all four years?
If not, is it difficult to find off-campus housing?
What are the best off-campus housing options?
Are college students welcome living in residential areas near campus? </p>
<p>I now that's a lot of questions, but I thought I'd cover all bases while I'm here!</p>
<p>First, check this out: </p>
<p>From 2007:
The</a> Flat Hat: 326 students bumped from lottery
and
The</a> Flat Hat: Bumped students reinstated on campus</p>
<p>This year:
The</a> Flat Hat: Student needs get bumped</p>
<p>My son is currently a sophomore at W&M and my wife and I are alums, so while our experience is 25 years old (this year!) we're pretty up to date via our son (who is an editor for the Flat Hat so we read it regularly).</p>
<p>I understand the parental concern about "guaranteed" housing all four years -- our daughter is a HS junior and the search has begun in earnest so the housing issue is one or our biggest concerns (although, it does not seem, one of hers). However, we are also realistic enough to know that the vast majority of schools can't and don't "guarantee" housing. It is just prohibitively expensive to maintain such a system. W&M does have a very high percentage of students living on campus, something close to 80% (I think). Being "bumped" is an annual ritual that affects a small percentage of the students who do want to live on campus. While some beautiful new dorms were opened a couple of years ago, they replaced some very old dorms that were 2-3 miles away from campus that the college had acquired from Eastern State Mental Hospital (known as James Blair Terrace or JBT in my day and renamed Dillard Complex by the time my son started looking). </p>
<p>I ended up out at JBT my sophomore year due to the lower lottery numbers that sophomores got and was bumped my junior year. I lived in an apartment that was actually closer to campus than JBT. My son has managed to avoid the bump as he didn't get bumped this year or next and they no longer bump seniors, so he will be on campus all four years. And, as you can see from the September '07 article, everyone who wanted back in did get in. Of course, some of the bumped students found off-campus housing and withdrew from the waiting list (as I did way back in 1981).</p>
<p>It appears that the growth of Williamsburg and its tourist industry since my days there has negatively impacted off-campus housing for students. Students are particularly unhappy with the city's recent heavy-handed enforcement of its law that no more than three unrelated people may live together in a single dwelling. </p>
<p>Most students live on campus all four years and all of them should be able to be on campus for at least three of their years. And, to tell you the truth, having to find myself an apartment was a significant milestone for me and an important part of my "education" at W&M. </p>
<p>Bottom line: W&M has a better on-campus housing situation than most schools and if this is the right fit for your student, you shouldn't let the possibility of being "randomly excluded" for one of the four years be a deal-breaker.</p>
<p>Good luck with your . . . excuse me, his choice!</p>
<p>--K9Leader</p>
<p>If you are male and interested in foreign languages, you can be pretty much guaranteed a spot in one of the language houses for your 2-4th years. My son is living in the French House next year as a sophomore, and I think he said there are 5 boys and 21 girls.</p>
<p>I know also that the Arabic House was actively recruiting for people, so if you child is interested in that language, it's a slam dunk.</p>
<p>Just a thought for you to consider.</p>
<p>We were told that "everyone who wants to live on campus has been able to do so for the last few years."</p>
<p>My D considered a language house even though she's not interested or even needing to take a foreign language; she was told that she would be able to do so because they were undersubscribed, and although she decided not to, some of her new friends are.</p>
<p>I am a junior and have easily obtained on campus housing. Moroe, B/Basement, and now Old Dominion. I am by choice, planning to live off campus next year. Living on campus is fun.</p>
<p>William and Mary is just a great place to be. The campus is beautiful in every season.</p>
<p>I believe you are guaranteed housing 3 of your 4 years in writing, but everyone who wants to live on campus has the opportunity. Sometimes the openings don't come until August for the last few people, but there is room on campus for those that want to live there.</p>
<p>I have lived on campus all 4 years. (Taliaferro, Madison, Ludwell x2)</p>
<p>Yes, many students do get "bumped" one year. Contrary to what was stated earlier, I don't believe that students are guaranteed housing for three out of four years - only freshman housing is guaranteed. If memory serves, it is not a guarantee that students can only be bumped once, but it does work that way in practice.</p>
<p>It's true that ResLife does manage to house nearly everyone who gets bumped, but the uncertainty is stressful, and many times bumped students with the worst numbers find themselves living in the units or overcrowds or other less-than-desirable accommodations. There is housing off campus, but the three-person rule is a major obstacle. Most locations close to campus are either too expensive or too run down. Also, to get a house right next to campus, you really have to look hard because there are so few rentals and they are in such high demand. There are apartment complexes farther away, such as Governors Square and Monticello, which is where many off campus students end up. The apartments aren't a bad option but they can feel quite isolated. Also, depending on where you live you may have to hound the landlord to get any maintenance done - this is especially true of the execrable Berkeley Realty that runs the Midlands and Governors Square apartment complexes.</p>
<p>There are no really bad options, but if you get bumped there is a certain amount of inconvenience no matter the route you choose: waiting to get a spot on campus (uncertainty), finding a house close to campus (too expensive or too run down), living in apartments (distance + unresponsive landlords). Everyone finds a place to live, though. To second what namtrag said, language houses are your best bet for guaranteed housing.</p>
<p>Bumped students cannot be bumped again, so students are thus guaranteed housing for at least three out of four years. Freshmen and Seniors are guaranteed housing, so it would either be your Sophomore or Junior year.</p>
<p>We're in the middle of the involuntary bump mess. My daughter's roommate was the one who was involuntarily bumped, they tried to get into a overcrowded room but there were too many people and their number was too low. My daughter is still in the selection process but isn't willing to live with someone she doesn't like as well to stay on campus and yes, the Res Life people will tell you that every student will be reinstated and the girls can attempt a room change, but that will only happen if everyone agrees. SO we are in the process of trying to find off-campus house for this year. Can you tell that I'm not happy!! The worst of it is that we were told during the information session that with the opening of the new Jamestown dorms, W&M could guarantee her class housing all four years..HA!</p>
<p>Can anyone say how the lottery and bumping work? It seems to be on an individual basis, so what if one to-be roommate gets a low number and one a high number or one is bumped?</p>
<p>My daughter's time slot to choose a room is on April 16 on Wednesday morning at 10 AM...everyone from Wednesay afternoon on got bumped. Her roommate's time slot was Thursday morning. In her dorm alone, 30+ people were involuntarily bumped out of the housing selection. The bumped students are given reinstatement numbers with juniors getting the best numbers (low) and sophomores getting the worst (high). Juniors are usually reinstated faster than sophomores.</p>
<p>In my day, lottery was by number and you showed up at Blow Gym (yes, it was a gymnasium then) and waited in line until your number (or your roommate's number, if it was better) came up and then you got your pick of any room that was left. Getting number 1 was everyone's dream. I knew the guy who got it one year and it was worth tapping a keg an hour before he had to show up and then about 30 or 40 of us accomanying him (and his five fortunate friends who were all going to share a lodge together) to cheer when they made the selection. </p>
<p>My son's experience has been more high tech - students get a login time, so instead of "who has the better number?" the question is "who has the better time?" It's more efficient but not nearly as interesting a process.</p>
<p>The roommate getting bumped problem is the same, though. When I got bumped for my junior year, I told my prospective roommate that he was not obligated to go off campus with me and he went off and made other arrangements. We were friends but not that close (although we've kept in touch over the years and trade e-mails every now and then). My son had much the same situation. He and his freshman roommate and two other guys were going to try to get a quad or adjacent rooms with my son and one of the other guys rooming together and the current roommate and the fourth guy together. However, my son's prospective roommate got bumped and had a really bad reinstatement number so he left the group to go off campus. The other two tried to get my son in on an overcrowd with them, but they had no luck. By this time, all of his buddies had roommate situations set up, so my son ended up rooming with a guy he knew only casually from a class. He was a rising junior and had a really good number so my son ended up in a great room this year, but doesn't really care for the roommate much (and vice versa). </p>
<p>There are many roommate pairs who do stick together when one gets bumped, though. My senior year roommate and I would have done that had it been necessary. </p>
<p>It is nice that they have guaranteed seniors housing. When I was there, getting bumped your senior year, when you would finally have a number high enough to get a really good room, was everyone's fear and very frustrating when it happened. I always felt that if you were ever going to get bumped, it should be your sophomore year when your lottery number was lowest.</p>
<p>--K9Leader</p>
<p>
[quote]
Can anyone say how the lottery and bumping work? It seems to be on an individual basis, so what if one to-be roommate gets a low number and one a high number or one is bumped?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>people are chosen randomly to be bumped. When you and a roommate are going to room together, you choose your room based on the better number (or now, time slot). If one of you're roommates is bumped, you can do an overcrowd, and people with bumped roommates get priority (or, at least they did when I did that). People who are bumped are 'reinstated' as people who have paid deposits "voluntarily bump themselves" when they find places to live off campus, or finalize study abroad plans, etc.</p>
<p>OK so --- here's the deal about housing (I am a rising senior at W&M):</p>
<ol>
<li>You are guaranteed housing for your Freshmen year (obviously) then again in your senior year.</li>
<li>W&M bumps are based on lottery numbers - which are assigned randomly. They bump the lowest (worst) sophomore numbers -- and a few of the lowest (worst) Junior numbers.</li>
<li>As some others have said, if you are interested in living in a language house, that is easier to do. They are more or less exempt from the lottery, but you have to apply (and get accepted) to the house.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you really want housing --- you can get it --- it just might take a while. You also might be forced into taking a triple/quad overcrowd (the rooms are bigger) with some of your friends. Personally, I have never been bumped and have stayed on campus the whole time I've been here.</p>
<p>W&M is a great place. Don't let housing horror stories detract you.</p>
<p>Also, don't let the fact that I spelled Monroe, "Moroe" give you the idea that all William and Mary students suck at spelling..............or that there are two dorms with similar names!! The fact that I lived in Monroe for a year, had the best time of my life, and then couldn't even spell it correctly has me heading down to take a nap.</p>
<p>Maybe I've been lucky but dorm life here at William and Mary has been really sweet. I'm living off campus next year and I will miss dorm life.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if the Study Abroad people have been notified yet? I know that's a major group that the Resident Life people are waiting to hear from (and they hadn't as of Monday)</p>
<p>My roommate is hoping to go to Greece next year; he is still waiting to hear whether or not he has been accepted.</p>
<p>"everyone from Wednesay afternoon on got bumped"</p>
<p>atrmom, Are you sure it was from Wednesday afternoon on? I have friends who have Wednesday afternoon selection times that were not bumped. Maybe it was Thursday afteroon on? </p>
<p>Maybe because their time was early Wednesday afternoon.....idk</p>
<p>There is no conceivable way rising Sophomores with a time slot Wednesday afternoon got bumped.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think that sounds like way too many sophomores getting bumped....but what do I know?</p>