To any current or past Notre Dame students and parents, do you have any idea how random the housing assignment process is? What kind of questions does the application ask? As an incoming freshman, I’m hoping for a 2-person suite-style dorm, however, I’m unsure of whether or not those are reserved for upperclassmen. I play guitar a lot, and really appreciate having alone time, so being able to have a separate room from my roommate would be a very desirable situation. So, are room types just as random as dorm assignments, or do you get to select your floor plan preference? (This year’s housing application opens on May 21st, by the way)
Room assignments are for the most part random. The application really only asks if you will be living in university housing, which given the six semester on campus requirement would seem to be unnecessary. Regardless, unless you are one of the few who by virtue of legacy or having a sibling in a certain dorm are pulled into a specific dorm, you really have no say and they don’t ask for preferences. Also, while there are some rooms designated as “suites”, they aren’t what most think of as suite style living. Most freshmen will be in one room doubles or triples, or in some cases three room quads ( two bedrooms with a small common room).
It really is random. At least in the past, they didn’t even ask questions like, “Do you prefer to stay up late?” or things like that. @ejcclc, I didn’t realize that there were three room quads available for freshman.
OP, my D is thinking of bringing her guitar too. I’ve told her to pack light because space will likely be an issue.
@suzy100 I believe there are quads in most of the dorms. I know some reserve a few for freshmen during room picks in the spring. My ‘17 daughter’s freshman year saw a few of her friends in quads. There are also some multi room 6 person spaces. My other daughter had a friend in Ryan in one of those.
For 2017 the process was random for roommate assignment. No survey. For dorm choice, if you are a sibling of a current student, you can request their dorm. Otherwise, the only question asked was if you have any special needs (i.e. mobility issues or someone with documented asthma can request a newer dorm with air conditioning, etc.). Being a legacy does not affect dorm choice. “Unofficially”, it is rumored that if your parents are decent-sized donors or do work for the school (interviewing, alumni clubs) you get put in a better dorm. I don’t know if this is true, but we know two students for whom this was the case. Maybe just coincidence, I don’t know.
As a freshman you will most likely live in a one-room double or a quad (3 rooms for 4 students, but each room is smaller than a regular room). I’m honestly not sure how prevalent one-room triples still are. I don’t think my daughter knows one person living in a triple, in the multiple dorms where she has friends. They definitely do set aside certain rooms for freshman. For my daughter’s friends, it’s about a 50-50 split for those who live in doubles vs quads. Both floor plans have their advantages. The suite style you mentioned (a two-room double) and other roommate floor plans and singles do exist, just not for freshman.
And I can assure you that by the end of all the Welcome Weekend activities, you will feel like your dorm is the best dorm on campus. Each dorm has it’s pluses & minuses and traditions/songs/events that make it special 
Any clue how to get “pulled in” to a dorm if you have a sibling or close friend in a specific residence hall? Thanks!
Not sure a close friend can pull you in, but generally those requests go through the dorm’s rector.
Housing is completely random. Only rule is you won’t get a roommate from your same zip code. If you have a sibling in the dorm you want to be in, usually they can talk to their rector on your behalf to pull you in; friends are not a good enough to connection to pull you in, but they can do that after freshman year if you want to change dorms.
You’ll probably end up in a one room double, one or two room triple, or a three room quad. The older the dorm, the more unique the rooms are; for instance, Howard has two room doubles, St. Ed’s has one room quads with crazy high ceilings, etc. Dorms on North quad and Mod quad have standardized two room doubles and three room quads. 5+ people rooms and singles are usually reserved for upperclassmen. Don’t be too worried about it, random roommates usually turn out just fine!
I’ve heard rumors that certain women’s dorms are STEM dorms. I’m in Welsh Family, which people say is a STEM dorm. Last year, my roommate and I were the only non-engineer majors in our section.