roommate questionnaire

<p>Can I not submit it before the deadline?
I've completed it but don't see a submit button?
Thanks!</p>

<p>It’s bullcrap anyways.</p>

<p>Haters will deny it.</p>

<p>It automatically submits on the deadline. You can change it till then.</p>

<p>Is the survery really only one page long? There seems to be too few questions for the housing folks to make good matches.</p>

<p>They have said that when they give long surveys, people expect to end up with perfect matches. This is clearly impossible because despite knowledge of general personality types, it all comes down to the specifics of each individual’s life experiences. They try to simplify it down to just the basics of preferences - which are still not a great measure.</p>

<p>It’s essentially random. I’ve pleaded with them and even offered my services for free to develop a more accurate system, but they’ve blown me off. It’s a joke if you ask me.</p>

<p>roxlo,
After seeing the very brief survery, I have to agree with you. I am disappointed by this approach, because I know how well things worked out for my older son at Dartmouth. He answered a 3-page survey which resulted in a very compatible freshman roommate match. Four years later, they are fraternity brothers and good friends.</p>

<p>I think the biggest thing about the suvey is that if you list your preference for a small hall you are more likely to end up in the Botetourt Complex, generally considered the least desirable housing. I’d recommend incoming students put their preference down as a large hall and hope that they get DuPont, Yates, or Barrett. </p>

<p>But even if you end up in Botetourt, you’ll grow to love it.</p>

<p>I really don’t understand why people don’t like Botetout, they have some of the largest (ACed) lounge:resident ratios I’ve ever seen! Its in a great location for the Caf, Tennis, the Lake, and the Rec - certainly no worse than DuPont. Small could also mean you end up in Jefferson basement, Brown, Taliafero, or Hunt. And for large dorms, you risk getting stuck in Yates…</p>

<p>And again, I don’t think any kind of personality survey can ever result in reliable “compatibility” mechanisms. And besides, what time people go to bed (and other behavioral factors) may change drastically once they get to College. I used to go to bed relatively early in comparison to my High School, but in College I rarely go to bed before 2, for example.</p>

<p>Despite its shorter length, the housing survey generally results in good matches. There are few roommate changes during freshmen year. This isn’t to say there are none but the number of requests is small. The form helps Residence Life to make decisions based on some measures of compatibility but keep in mind that college is a time of growth and learning to live with people who are not 100% compatible is a good life skill.</p>

<p>On a personal note, those of us in W&M Admission who went to W&M had great freshmen roommate experiences.</p>

<p>Botetourt’s location isn’t bad, though not great either. You are close to the caf and the rec. Yates is closer to both. If you have classes on old campus it’s a long walk from Botetourt. Also, I mean the buildings and rooms are just the least aesthetically pleasing of any of the other dorms. Yates and DuPont also have AC’ed rooms. DuPont has suite baths and an awesome common area. I believe Yates has suite baths also? Barrett is just simply gorgeous and has the best location of any freshmen hall, imo. </p>

<p>I mean if you get Botetourt, you’ll end up loving it even if you are initially disappointed. All I’m saying is that at the beginning of freshmen year EVERYONE in Botetourt was talking about how much nicer DuPont and Barrett are and how they wish they were there. </p>

<p>Although looking back I’m glad that I didn’t get Brown, Hunt, or Taliaferro. They are all much nicer looking than Botetourt, but so far out of the way from everything, especially Brown. It’s literally like a 25 minute walk from Brown to Morton or the Caf…</p>

<p>Don’t kid yourself, Botetourt is a dump. The universal reaction to “I lived in Botetourt my freshman year” is “Oh, I’m sorry.” Don’t believe me, walk up to any random W&M student and try it. It’s way down there with the Units. Housing at W&M is in lousy shape; even the sought-after Lodges are falling apart (thankfully they’re being re-done soon).</p>

<p>And yes, the roommate questionnaire is short, but it doesn’t matter because for all the consideration it’s given you might as well be assigned a roommate and a room completely randomly.</p>

<p>That said, there’s still a very good chance you’ll come away from your freshman year with a great number of friends you continue to keep in close contact with.</p>

<p>

Yes, even I would say that, but in a joking manner. I really cannot comprehend the disdain everyone has for the Botetourt Complex, at least relative to other dorms. The freshman halls there always seem to have a great sense of community too. And Barrett gets a lot of hype, but having lived there - the two tiny lounges on the first floor are barely adequate. The one most people in my class dislike is Yates because of its reputation for mold and proximity to the frats and the consequences of that.</p>

<p>But the one thing I’m sure we all agree on is:

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<p>I think many might get bogged down in thinking about ammenities and not the freshman hall experience. W&M does a great job proctoring a unique experience in the residence halls with self-determination policies and the general strength of the W&M community. OAs and RAs are there to help you transition and become aclimated and even if you end up in a residence hall you believe to be less desirable on the front end, chances are you’ll end your freshman year believing you couldn’t have lived anywhere else.</p>

<p>Don’t psych yourself up to the point where you become disappointed with your housing assignment. All residence halls have unique features and flavors/cultures.</p>

<p>^Does Jefferson count as a large hall?</p>

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<p>This is very true. I think most people in this thread have found such sentiments to be common ground.</p>

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<p>This is not. By and large, W&M does not get high marks for housing. Quality of life - including the condition of the residence halls - is a perfectly valid topic for discussion. After all, good facilities and a great freshman hall experience are not mutually exclusive.</p>

<p>Certainly facilities and experience are not mutually exclusive but students should be careful not to commit themselves emotionally to one particular residence hall and then get so disappointed by their assignment (based on facilities) that it colors their experience.</p>