Rejected from prospective dorm. What to do?

Parents Forum
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<p>I had a longer and more comprehensive post on this, but the board ate it up, so I'm just focusing on one part of my story.</p>

<p>Today, I just got an email informing me that I had been rejected from a prospective dorm. The decision really shocked me, because I thought I had done pretty well on my application and that there were actually less applicants than slots available. I guess that wasn't true.</p>

<p>But then I remembered that last Friday at the time of my interview for the dorm, I was informed that the application committee hadn't received my written application yet. However, I was told that it was nothing I should worry about since they were still getting around to finding it and that everything would clear up soon. </p>

<p>I wasn't surprised that they lost it, since I had turned it in late to the residential office where it was due. However, the director in charge of the applications for this particular dorm said that it was ok for me to turn it into her at the time that I did. It also happened that they extended the deadline until the deadline until the Friday of that week. After that, I heard absolutely nothing about my application until it was time for my interview.</p>

<p>Now, the residential office isn't usually open on the weekends. So if I'm guessing right, at best, people had three or four hours to consider my application between 8:00 AM today and noon. I don't know about whoever looked over my application, but most people usually have class during that time or are sleeping. Either way, I really doubt my application got the same amount of consideration as the others.</p>

<p>I have already sent in an email inquiring if my application had been received at all. However, I'm really dejected over being rejected because of some combination of miscommunication, bad paperwork handling, and a lack of fair treatment for my application.</p>

<p>What do you guys think about this and what should I do next? I know, tough luck and rejection is a part of life, but I'm still feeling really unsatisfied about how this turned out.</p>

<p>EDIT: Just to be clear, I have access to on campus housing (in fact, I was denied off campus housing), but this was just one particular dorm I was applying to.</p>

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<p>are you going to be homeless unless you get into this dorm? If not, apply somewhere else and get on with your life. This doesn’t seem like something worth investing too much emotional energy into.</p>

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<p>New one on me…being rejected from a dorm. Now, not getting on-campus housing because it’s full is one thing, but an application to consider whether or not you’re worthy of being housed on campus? That’s a new one on me.</p>

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<p>I made a change to my original post to indicate that yes, I will have guaranteed access to housing. However, I liked the particular dorm I applied to because I really liked the people there, and I felt like it was a good fit. I thought it would be a better way of meeting people rather than being put in a dorm full of random people who might never be in the first place. But I guess they didn’t like me back.</p>

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<p>Maybe you were misinformed about the number of residents applying for housing in that dorm. Again, I’ve never heard of this kind of set up before except for fraternities or sororities.</p>

<p>Your question about what to do next - I guess just move forward with finding housing somewhere else. It is what it is.</p>

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<p>this seems really obvious but…my daughters school has an online message board where she was able to find a roommate for freshman year` then they both applied to same dorm.
i expect all colleges have something similar. Its a good way to search for people that you have something in common with.
Sophomore year, she used it to track down another girl that she first met through the message board and they roomed together off campus.

I can't imagine which dorm is going to make a huge difference & after all it is only a year` and not even that in all cases, but who your roommate is, might. Have you tried to find a roommate?</p>

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<p>The dorm I was applying to was part of a specialized program. I was told that the application wasn’t a big deal, but apparently I was misinformed. </p>

<p>The question is now should I consider applying to another program?</p>

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<p>I really liked the idea of the dorm because everyone was very close and had closer interests compared to the rest of the school. </p>

<p>I don’t think I could be anyone’s roommate right now. Maybe as a tagalong for the last slot in a multi person suite, but not a roommate, no, especially as I have a really limited amount of female friends right now. I figure it would be better to find a random roommate.</p>

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<p>Is there another program you’d like to apply for? Can you meet the deadline?</p>

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<p>Let this be a life lesson to you that you should turn applications / other materials in on time for things that you want, check in periodically if there are other next steps pending (such as the interview), and move on with your life. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Emeraldkitty…if your child at Carnegie Mellon? Because I saw that on the Carnegie Mellon that they do that. But I have not seen it like that anywhere else.</p>

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<p>Chaos, I am sorry that you didn’t get into the dorm you wanted. Vandy has just a limited number of spaces for the specialized dorms, and unfortunately there will be some who miss out due to that fact. Call and see if you can get on a waiting list - maybe someone will back out, or they will need someone to fill study abroad spaces. If someone is going in fall & someone else is going in spring … it might work out for you. My D didn’t apply for housing junior year because she would have had to pay for it while she was studying abroad - so maybe there is someone who wanted to get in, but would be willing to let you take her space while she is away (not sure if that works in a specialized residence hall, though). I agree that random selection is probably best if you don’t have anyone in mind you want to share with. You might get a single.</p>

<p>As I always tell my kids, things often happen for a reason. Keep positive.</p>

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<p>As far as I can tell, I turned in my application on time because the deadline was extended. And I’m confused, when did I say that I was missing other steps? I don’t see that in my post.</p>

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<p>Thanks, I will consider that.</p>

<p>Right now, I feel rather annoyed and even betrayed.</p>

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<p>I understand feeling disappointed and annoyed (at yourself as well, I presume), but I can’t understand feeling betrayed. If there are more applicants than spaces, as there seemingly were, someone has to be rejected. You had the director’s permission to submit your application late, and at that point it apparently fell through the cracks. You had the opportunity to interview, as did the other applicants. Their applications were on time; yours was late, though with permission. It’s not realistic to think that the same evaluation process would be applied to a late application. If all the other applications were reviewed in a committee setting, for instance, should a special meeting be convened to look at a late application?</p>

<p>Are you certain that the lateness of your application was the reason for the rejection? Is it possible the other applicants matched the mission of the program more completely than you did? Even if being late was the reason for your eventual rejection, I can’t see how you were betrayed by the selection process.</p>

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<p>I’m really not trying to be harsh, but you turned in your application late and now you are complaining that you feel your application didn’t get the same consideration that others did? That maybe they didn’t have time to review your application as completely as you feel they should have to make it fair? I have a strong feeling you are not going to want to hear this, but you had complete control over this by getting the application turned in well ahead of the due date. Then you wouldn’t be wondering if this played a part in the decision. We then move on to the other part of the equation, which others have brought up, your interview may not have been ‘bad’, however with residential communities on a college campus it is often very much about ‘fit’ and ‘identity’. They may just not have felt it was a good match.</p>

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<p>Tufts has a similar online message board for freshman, but chaosakita is talking about theme housing for upperclassmen. I think she just needs to face the fact that they just weren’t that into her and move on.</p>

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<p>I would go talk to the person in charge of the dorm program</p>

<p>There is a dorm similar to what you are describing in the dorm that I went to. One of my friends didn’t get into the dorm. The friend approached thedean who was in charge of the dorm and just talked to him - let him know how much living there would mean, offered to help out with setting up/helping out with the special programs the dorm hosts, etc. Long story short, my friend got in. I wouldn’t give up just yet.</p>

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<p>Lmkh, no mine is at a public instate school.
Just google bulletin board or forum, student & roommate and all kinds of schools pop up.</p>

<p>I guess I havent been paying attention- chaosakita isnt a freshman?</p>

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<p>It’s a good life lesson to think about the first deadline as THE deadline. Let other people take advantage of extended deadlines – but get YOUR stuff in when initially intended.</p>

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<p>The OP is a rising sophomore IIRC.</p>

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<p>I would second the idea of speaking directly to someone in charge and explain your situation and see if you can do anything. If not, move on. Sometimes detours like this being unexpected, positive outcomes.</p>