I know that you rank you residential college choices when you apply to U of T, and that you find out which college you are accepted to when you get your U of T acceptance letter. For the residential colleges that have different options for residence, do you also find out which dorm you are assigned to at that time? My D loves the apartments at Woodsworth College, but I know many Woodsworth College students are placed at Chestnut. Her dorm placement may affect her overall university decision.
No, you find out later. You have to fill out the residence application by March 31 to be guaranteed a spot in one of the buildings that provides residence for that college. In my experience, students find out where that will be around July. However, it would be very unlikely for her to be placed in Chestnut unless she requested it. This September, Woodsworth was advertising that they had available spaces in their residence still. http://residence.wdw.utoronto.ca/?p=10505
I’m surprised that they wouldn’t be able to fill the rooms in that amazing residence. That’s good to know, though, thank you.
While they are nice, they do not offer a meal plan or dining so student has to trek elsewhere or shop and cook, something many freshman don’t want to do (or parents don’t trust them to do), and with the weather…running out isn’t always so easy.
Yes, you are probably right, @scotlandcalling. Having a kitchen is what my D likes about it, though. She loves to cook. She has heard from several Woodsworth residents that roommates will often share cooking duties, each making dinner one night a week for everyone. D loves that idea. The location near the subway is very appealing, too.
Woodsworth seems to have difficulty filling the building each year since it opened. I’m not entirely sure why other than I think that most students want to be in a more traditional dorm style, with access to a dining hall. And many of those students have to ‘trek elsewhere’ to that dining hall. 
As for location near the subway, you’re not going to be far from a subway stop regardless of what dorm you’re in, although I’m not sure that most students would care about that factor.
Thank you @alwaysamom. We are returning for a second visit in March. We will do the Woodsworth tour again, along with another New College tour (her second choice as of now). I need to make sure D understands the lifestyle differences. Thanks for all the input.