I’m going to be going to A&M CSTAT this fall, but I have questions.
First of all, would choosing a roommate lower my chances of getting placed into the dorms I want to get into? Hullabaloo is a reach of mine, but all I really want (and chose as a preference) are modular dorms on Northside with community kitchens.
I have cousins in the Corp of Cadets that are in their senior/junior year, and their parents get them the top notch meal plan (Super Block 240!). I’m unsure if the Corp gets a reduced price or something, but what are your guys’s thoughts on getting a meal plan? Block 165 looks appealing enough, but it’s a confusing process.
Here is the information for the meal plan blocks ( https://www.dineoncampus.com/tamu/on-campus-freshmen ).
@luckyaggie when did you pay your Housing deposit? Dorm selection will depend on that. Hullabaloo literally fills up in minutes, with students that paid Housing deposit in September, and Northside Modulars are usually the next popular (if wanting to live on Northside). Listing dorms as a preference doesn’t mean anything; it is simply a way for the university to keep track of which dorms are most popular. When your dorm selection time opens, it’s a free-for-all, to find any bed that is open on campus.
Meal plans are required, if living on campus. Everything I’ve read says to start with the lowest plan; but if you’re a big eater, I guess go for a bigger plan.
I just got officially accepted yesterday, so I applied yesterday.
Hard facts-you’ll most likely be overflow housing, lucky to get a bed anywhere. Unless you can connect with a roommate that has a much higher dorm selection time, you won’t have many options (if any). And there isn’t much time left to find a roommate-I think April 30th is the last day? May 1 is the magical dorm date-students start to find out their dorm pull times, if someone hasn’t canceled their dorm by May 1 they’re responsible for a full semester of payment.
@luckyaggie stay single my friend. Much easier to get placed when only looking for one bed. Also, when it is time for room selection… you can see the profiles of whoever else is in the room to see if good fit (potentially). But hullabaloo and modulars will fill up super quick so have your backup choices ready.
As for meal plans, it’s up to you. You can always add to your meal plan. You will use dining dollars more than meals most likely and not every place has meal trades and meals don’t carry over each semester.
@52AG82 I didn’t get assigned temporary housing, I got permanent housing. So there’s some good in that.
@AggieMomhelp It’s terrifying to go in blind in terms of roommates but if I have a better chance I’ll just do that 
@luckyaggie that is good! Agree with @AggieMomhelp , this late in the game, don’t try to match with a roomie. You’ll have the best luck getting a single bed. But you’ll definitely want options-don’t hope for Hullabaloo or Modulars.
And I have heard beds will open up, even in the summer, so keep checking.
@52AG82 So, for the pull times, May 1st would be given to people who got accepted/put in the application fee in September? Since I got accepted so late, I assume that I’ll probably be given May 8th. I’m just hoping for a semi-private bathroom and not a community bathroom 
@luckyaggie no, the week of May 1-8, all students who paid Housing deposit will be given an assigned time to choose their beds. The times are staggered during the month. Last year, our friend paid her deposit in November or December, and her pull time was DURING her graduation, Memorial Day Weekend. Her dad stayed in the car on his laptop, picking her dorm, during her graduation. So your dorm pull time probably won’t even be until June-but you’ll find out when it is, the 1st week in May.
Does that make sense?
@52AG82 Oh wow, thats rough. I hope they’ll have some mercy on me because I got accepted so late haha.
I had community bathrooms when I was in college and LOVED it! You didn’t wake up a roommate, you weren’t constantly having to wait for someone else. I’d rather have community, than share a suite bathroom with 4 ppl!
My daughter is like you tho-she’d rather have a private or semi-private bathroom.
@52AG82 One shower shared by four girls sounds like a nightmare I would never survive. I was thinking more of a double room with one bathroom. I know now that those are in extremely high demand, but I still hope for one! Pulling for a room sounds a lot like running for the middle for equipment in the Hunger Games.
But thank you for opening my mind to that because you’re absolutely right!
@luckyaggie I would think your time will definitely be after Memorial Day (based on last year), but who knows? You should receive an email, and/or it’ll be posted on Howdy, sometime during May 1-8. That’s when you’ll find out when your dorm selection time is. It’ll be a specific day/time (very small window of time).
If you haven’t take a dorm tour yet, highly encourage that. We just took a 2nd dorm tour, and made notes, so the dorms are fresh on our mind when the process opens up.
4 girls sharing 1 bathroom definitely isn’t ideal (I don’t think)-Common dorms are like that (suite style). That’s why it’s really beneficial to do dorm style research (TAMU Residence page has everything listed).
You won’t have a lot of options, based on late acceptance, so you’ll definitely want to be armed with details.
And who knows, with such a late date, maybe some rooms will have opened up by then?
https://reslife.tamu.edu/options/halls/
@luckyaggie try this link. It should have names of dorms, style, map, price, etc. There are a LOT of dorms on campus!
@52AG82 Thank you for all the help!
@luckyaggie One other possibility to consider is White Creek apartments. They are on the west side of campus which for some is a disadvantage however everyone there gets their own bedroom and most their own personal bathroom as well. Since it’s an apartment you also will have a kitchen and laundry machines in each as well.
@luckyaggie
Look at all the dorms/apartments on the list that was posted and rate them all from 1-30 (or however many there are) in order of preference. Then, when it is your time to log in to chose (my son had a 1:30 AM time slot his freshman year at a different university, and yes, he was logged in at 1:20 AM)
Then, as you go to select your room, if your first choice dorm/room type isn’t available, you can immediately move to the next choice without delay. You don’t want to be making a plan and trying to make your next decision while your time window is open, because while your window is open, it is open for others as well and rooms will be disappearing before your eyes.
The three dorms that you list on the application only matter to students in 2 situations. A&M uses it to assign rooms to students who filled out a housing contract but then did not log on to select a room during their allotted time. A&M will assign them one. The second reason is they use it to assign students permanent housing who end up being in temporary housing the first week or two of school. They use them as a guideline of your overall preference as to type of dorm and also the cost. They will not place you in a higher price tier than you put as your preference.
Room Selection Procedure http://oncampusaggies.tamu.edu/Images/Site/TAMU/Room Self Select Instructions.pdf