Has anyone else been put on the waitlist for housing? He tried to sign up on the 2nd was locked out. He is now on the waitlist and they cannot guarantee that he will get housing. Any insight? or any knowledge of apartments nearby?
Several private dorms and TONS of apts withing easy walk. Start with Lucky, The Hub, Towers, Statesider and the Regent. https://campusareahousing.wisc.edu/
Wasn’t May 1 the deadline?
I tried posting with links to help you, but cc has to review and approve first. If he doesn’t get off the housing waitlist, he will be placed in expanded housing. Google UW Madison expanded housing. There are also dorm communities at Lucky and Statesider apartments. Google dorms at Madison Lucky dorm
And Statesider dorm living at UW Madison.
re post # 3. I don’t think that info is accurate. Expanded housing goes to those with contracts for whom there initially is no room in the regular Res Halls dorm rooms. They (finally) get their regular dorm room as students drop out. Some of those will be the ones whose housing lottery chances come up last. In the past Res Halls has used dens and the Ag school’s short course dorms as temporary housing with full privileges.
A waitlist for housing would be like that waitlist for the university- a chance of being able to get a contract but as of now NOT in Res Halls. I would not count on that chance. As above, there are several private dorms as well as apartments near campus. For an incoming freshman a private dorm seems better than starting with an apartment.
It says something good for Res Halls when demand consistently fills the dorms. The housing lottery is also a good thing. So far UW Res Halls has never tried to cram more students than meant into rooms, unlike the horror stories I have read about on CC for some colleges.
My nephew at a school in NJ was assigned to a room in a motel in another town. That was a disaster.
@barrons Thank you for the advice. When I go to the site, it seems like there are only apartments there.
@octrojan Yes, it was. And, your point?
@wis75 I think you are correct about the people with contracts being placed in makeshift housing until a space opens up. I am hoping to hear that my son will be offered one of those contracts. Glad that the residence halls are in high demand, however, that does nothing to help relieve the anxiety I am feeling, sending my 18 year old across the country, where he doesn’t know anyone, and doesn’t have a place to live…
Be sure to make alternate arrangements now in case he doesn’t come off the wait list.
OP- those temporary assignments go to students who already have a Res Halls housing contract. Do not expect your son to get a Res Halls contract unless many more students drop out than is typical over many, many years. He needs to find other housing. Private dorms will have UW students- many from OOS. He will not be alone.
There are plenty of students from outside the Midwest who attend UW. Even those from instate usually know no one in their dorm or classes, it is a large enough school it is easy to avoid those a student may have gone to HS with as well. All freshmen start on the same page- new to college and UW. You may want to check for a UW alumni club close to home- they are all over the US (plus abroad).
Find housing. Res Halls is full. Do not count on it. btw- most students move out of the dorms after freshman year (some parents will stay). By then he will know the ropes about where to live.
On a happy note- he has been accepted to UW. There are others who want to get in but won’t.
Back in the day, I lived in the statesider as no out of state students got in the dorms. It was nice. Mostly chicago new york kids. But i had thought this had changed.
Way back in the day, the in-state kids knew to get on the housing list in October or so, way before applications for the UW were due. The OOS kids didn’t seem to have this knowledge and ended up in the statesider, which at least was in a good location.
Update- I was told yesterday that no one will come off the waitlist (they are having trouble placing all of the people who have contracts).
We have been looking into the private dorms and it looks like the Regent and Lark at Kohl are the favorites for now. Statesider and the Towers are options too. The Regent is actually a lot cheaper than the dorm and you only have to do a 9 month lease…
Thanks all for your input!
Housing is pure lottery, not first come first served, so students who turn their housing contract in on May 1 are in the same position as students who turned it in on Jan 1.
I’d recommend weighing location and cost with Regent – if a student has classes around Bascom and Humanities building, studying in College Library, then trek back to the Regent could get old quickly. But, for someone whose schedule and life revolved more around Union South, Engineering, Chemistry etc., then it would be a great location.
Did this info come from the university?
The Regent wouldn’t be my first choice. Does Lucky have a waitlist?
Yes- the information about no one coming off the waitlist came from the school directly.
My son was going to be Physics-Astronomy double major, so classes in that building. Lucky was more expensive (and a 12-month lease), so that’s why we had it as #4 on the list.
However, my son is now going to Boston University. They unexpectedly offered him a full scholarship last week , so he is withdrawn from Wisconsin. Crazy week!
Thanks for your advice!