<p>My daughter just got her housing assignment: a single even though she requested a double as her top 2 choices and she REALLY wants a roommate. Is there any chance of getting it changed and how does one go about it?</p>
<p>In my opinion she should count herself lucky and count her blessings. Most freshmen find their best friends in the dorm or in classes or clubs. If she is in a suite she will share common area with others. Having some privacy is really important to most freshmen. Who wants to waste energy dealing with the roommate’s alcohol, sex, drug, noise, rush, etc decisions? It is really awful to have no place where you can completely relax. Search “roommate problems” read results and then decide if you even want to try to do anything.</p>
<p>If she really wants to change, call residence life and ask what to do.</p>
<p>My had the same problem. She got a single in Jameson–does that mean she has a single room in a suite? If so, that would not be so bad. But she did request a double.</p>
<p>FWIW, to me what’s most important is to be in a dorm with mostly freshmen, preferably on a hall and floor with mostly freshmen, with a setup that is conducive to socializing. If that’s the case then having a single shouldn’t be a social impediment at all. Actually, probably as many or more people have issues with roommates. It’s important for the people you might actually come to like to be around in close proximity in your area, less likely that these are the ones that will wind up sharing your room.</p>
<p>I had a single. and I still had friends. i think.</p>
<p>But seriously, you still meet people and have fun when living in a single. you don’t need a roommate to bug you. all my suitemates, whom i liked hanging out with very much, ended up not wanting roommates for next year. lounges and other people’s rooms become hang out spots, you aren’t confined to your room. There should be no problem socializing… unless you are in Balch.</p>
<p>Could you expand on the Balch thing? A friend of mine got assigned there and wasn’t too happy about it.</p>
<p>If you requested a double and get put in a single, do you have to pay the single price? My D chose a double becuase it costs less but ended up in a single which appears to be nearly $1000 more per year. That does not seem right especially since she did not request a single. I cannot afford another $1000. Are there any options?</p>
<p>^ I want to know this as well</p>
<p>I <em>think</em> you’ll only be expected to pay the double rate, but you should check.</p>
<p>tell your friend to be happy about Balch, it is awesome. and TRUST me, there is plenty of socializing happening in those lounges. I lived close to one my freshman year and it was frequently quite noisy. lots of chatter and pleasantness in the hallways too, and you can go to the Tatkon center for coffee, smoothies, ready-made food, pastries without even going outside! </p>
<p>I have seen a lot of different statements about the single/double request/pricing thing over the years, so it’s probably best to either find someone here who knows for sure or contact someone at Cornell directly.</p>
<p>If you are having trouble paying for the single room rate, talk to financial aid because you can request an adjustment to your aid for it. You can only request an adjustment if you indeed requested a double and got a single. If you are not eligible for financial aid then the single room is what you must pay for. Housing is completely random and that’s stated very clearly though Cornell does its best to offer you preferences. </p>
<p>As for Balch, it is extremely social. Guys are always around and it’s noisy. Everyone has to get through Balch to get to their dorm so you will definitely feel a part of Cornell, both inside the dorm and out. As for inside, it really depends what unit you are in. Sixth floor dorms are extremely quiet and the hallways can get creepy. However, if you are on a floor nearby many entrances (like I was :-] ), then your lounges will be busy and you will get a lot of social activitiy around.</p>
<p>kind of sucks that this happens…there should be a room exchange haha</p>
<p>I only had a sample of one, but the girl I talked to said balch was relatively very antisocial. This is just what she told me.</p>
<p>balch isnt social. I have two very good friends who had rooms in north and south balch respectively. Most of the girls that live there are mal adjusted asian immigrants who clearly self segregate (IE, hang out only with other intl asian students). A lot of the other girls there are just plain not social. When people in this site say that balch girls are social, they mean they hang in the lounges and play apples to apples on a friday night after they eat icecream. The actually social people I know are out going to parties or other campus sponsored dry events and meeting new people and doing interesting things. IMHO, balch sucks. Also, the person who said that guys always hang out in balch is either a liar or has a horrible taste in men. There is a type of girl who is a balch girl, and if you are like here, go ahead, you will have fun but please do not claim that getting smoothies while playing apples to apples for the 60th time in a row in a friday night is being social.</p>
<p>My daughter had a single and loved it. It offered her the privacy she needed, when she wanted to be social she left her door opened. She didn’t have to deal with any roommate problem. If you read the forum, we get a lot of roommate issues. My daughter was lucky that she and her across hall mate became best friends. They would leave their doors open and chat across the hall, but close their doors when they wanted privacy. What’s also nice was in the winter she didn’t have to go to a library to study.</p>
<p>One thing to add is one of my daughter’s friend lived in Balch. She liked the arrangement because she went out with her friends and went back to a very nice quiet room. All her friends were jealous of her room.</p>
<p>Would you rather be in Balch or a Townhouse? I’ve heard both can be anti-social.
I just got assigned a Townhouse and I think my best bet is going to be in Balch if I try switching…what do you think?
I am very worried about the social aspects and being really far away in the Townhouses.</p>
<p>I would prefer Balch, but I know people who had fine experiences in the townhouses, so I wouldn’t get too worried.</p>
<p>as for other comments…not everyone is social in the exact same way, and hundreds of girls who happen to be assigned to the same building aren’t all going to be the same either.</p>
<p>Agree with faustarp…being social means different things to different people. For some, it’s going out every weekend; for others, it’s hanging out with friends doing whatever. Living in Balch is not equivalent to staying in your room alone every day (unless that’s what you want).</p>