My dd was all ready to pay her housing deposit today (just like she has done at other schools to which she has been accepted). However, GT requires the student commits to GT before paying the housing deposit. I totally understand with this policy (I am sure it is an administrative nightmare), but now dd is so worried she won’t get a decent dorm when/if she does commit. We tour this week, but it is not an Admitted Student tour, so likely won’t see dorms, etc.
Does anyone have experience with how difficult it was to get a preferred dorm if you didn’t commit right when housing opened?
Things might’ve changed since S20 started but we didn’t pay deposit until RD in March. He had dorm options during selection.
GT has LLCs with their own dorms. Is she interested?
Look online at the dorms. They have pictures. I can’t remember but there was one dorm that was the worst. Google is your friend.
Join the accepted students Facebook page. There’s one for parents too. Wealth of information.
I wouldn’t worry. There’s only one new dorm and it’s tough to get into. The rest are the same. Mediocre at best. The saying is “you don’t go to GT for the accommodations “. That said it’s still a great school.
You needn’t worry. She won’t get into the most desirable freshman dorms (Glenn & Towers - probably already fully booked anyway) but there will be plenty to choose from. GT is not known for exceptional freshman housing, but it’s not awful. The quality of the stellar academics and programs is more important to us anyway. You can still have a variety to choose from in the summer. I would think her bigger decision would be deciding between West or East campus or possibly a LLC, as another poster suggested. But this is nothing to get worked up about now, not at all.
Until this year you had to pay the dorm deposit the commitment deposit and sign the contract to get in line for the dorm. This year you only have to pay the commitment deposit and an $80 application fee. Other than being out the money, there’s no negative to paying the commitment deposit (you are not bound to it).
As as far as dorms go they are all pretty comparable. The two most newly renovated on East campus are Glenn and Towers and they’re really not that great😂 ( my son was in Towers). Also keep in mind if your child is interested in an LLC, those are assigned to certain dorms so she will have a place in one of those. Plenty of people don’t commit till March or April so she will definitely have a selection if she doesn’t wait too late. The biggest thing that she’ll need to decide is whether she wants to be on East campus or west campus. Both have different atmospheres, and some students do prefer one over the other.
My D was accepted EA. She is awaiting decisions from other schools before committing to Tech. She received the housing email yesterday. Should we go ahead and complete the application and pay the non-refundable deposit to get on the housing list? I understand you can withdrawal the application if you decide not to attend. Thanks in advance for any insight.
The date by which you complete the housing application and submit your commitment deposit is what determines your housing priority. Generally the least in demand dorms are Woodruff on West and Smith on East. Most in demand are Glenn and Towers on East, generally because East has higher demand than West (fills up faster) and also because they are the most recently renovated. That being said, Glenn and Towers priority numbers are probably long gone by now and those who try to pay super early are generally gunning for those dorms.
You should still be in really good shape even if you wait until right before regular decision comes out. After that, chances of ending up in one of the less desirable dorms goes way up. The later you wait, the fewer choices you will have.
Having had a son both in Towers and Hopkins on East I will say that they really aren’t that much different. Towers is a little bit nicer but not worth all the hype.
And to better answer your question, housing opened January 18 for incoming first years. At this point it’s really a cost benefit analysis based on the likelihood of your daughter attending Georgia Tech and whether you’re willing to risk 300+ dollars so that she has a better housing priority.
If she is interested in an LLC, those are designated dorms which makes housing priority irrelevant because if she is accepted to the LLC she will have to live in that dorm.
You should not double deposit. It is fine to deposit at Georgia Tech and then cancel if you decide to deposit somewhere else but you are not supposed to have enrollment deposits at two schools. Of course this is limited to enrollment deposits, and not any separate housing deposit.