<p>D seriously does not want to live in the dorms and deal with the GW meal plan next year. How can we get her out of the housing contract? She wants to stay at G Dub but this could be a deal breaker. Anyone know any success stories?</p>
<p>Well, the meal plan eases up a lot in sophomore year. What does your D object to? The J Street thing is a pain, but next year she'll need to spend only 250.00/semester. Has she considered the Mt. Vernon Campus? They have a more traditional dining situation. I have to say, my daughter really likes the flexible dining, and I think 250.00/ semester at JStreet will be much more tolerable. She will be living in a sorority house next year. Are you hoping to have her move off-campus and just buy her own food? </p>
<p>From the website:
Sophomore (30-59 credit hours)
$2,500/academic year
$500 ($250 per semester)
represents the monies required to be used at the Marvin Center, Duques Hall and Mount Vernon venues.
These funds rollover between semesters and expire at the end of the academic year.</p>
<p>$2,000 ($1,000 per semester)
required amount is available for use at any Colonial Cash dining partner.
These funds rollover between semesters and only expire if the account if inactive for a continuous 35 months.</p>
<p>Unfortunately it will be difficult to impossible for a sophomore to get out of the housing contract as on-campus housing for freshmen and sophomores is mandated under the campus plan agreed to with DC and neighborhood groups. GW's dining options were never one of my favorite points about the university. D is a junior so we escaped the mandatory spending plan at J St. Perhaps the dining plan will improve for next year since it has changed 3 times in 3 years already. Some (not all) of the sophomore housing options are apartment style and have kitchens. And this may improve your D's eating options if she can cook for herself (though that doesn't solve the mandatory spending issue) . Have her check those options when/if she is applying for second year housing. My D was fortunate to be assigned to Guthridge last year which had a small but fully functional kitchen. This year she is in Dakota--also apartment with kitchen. And next/final year may be off-campus housing. It's always an adventure. Good luck!</p>
<p>The meal plan is only part of the problem. Her main complaint there is lack of healthy food choices. The few that are available get old real fast. The idea of having a functional kitchen is very attractive. Could anyone sound off on dorms that have decent facilities that aren't already mentioned above? Unfortunately she was stuck in a single in Mitchell. She's toughing it out but just barely. The kids on her floor really party. Hard. Thanks but no thanks to the vern, she loves the foggy bottem too much. The idea of buying an investment property and renting to her and a roommate is not out of the question. Any thoughts on that?</p>
<p>About meal plan: sucks!
agree with the pooor healthy choices and then you are stuck with leftover money you must spend, you end up buying 4 dollar waters and 5 dollar smoothies. too expensive, I feel the kids are taken advantage of. wether you have a kitchen or not, freshman choices for dorms are still bound to sucumb to the meal plan , maybe sophomores an beyond can have it better with rooms with kitchen</p>
<p>My D also wasn't interested in the vern. And absolutely agree about very very limited access to healthy food choices. Fortunately mine lived in HOVA the last year it was available to undergrad and Safeway was across the street. It is a farther walk for her now and sometimes she resorts to Peapod delivery for larger food orders. Housing selection for rising sophomores will be Feb. 18-22 I think. At that time your D will know exactly which buildings are available for rising second years and she'll have the opportunity to submit her housing application online which can include roommate choices and building choices. Prior to that time, there will be plenty of meetings to explain the process and give students an opportunity to visit the dorms before making selections. I believe last year dorms with kitchens available to second years included Munson, West End, Fullbright, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onasis, Building JJ, Francis Scott Key and Guthridge. Info about the dorms is available on the housing website. The quad I saw at Fullbright was small. The triple in Guthridge was very nice. A quad I viewed in building JJ was amazingly large. Can't speak to any other buildings. Dakota, a junior option is very nice, has kitchens and washer/dryers in the apartment. Options for upperclassmen improve, however housing is not guaranteed for juniors and seniors. Hope all of this info is helpful and good luck with the process.</p>
<p>FSK, Guthridge, I-House and 1959 E Street all have kitchens. As CelloMom said you cannot get out of the housing contract as a sophomore due to promises GW has made to the community. There would have to be exceptional circumstances such as a medical or religious issue.</p>
<p>My son lives in JBKO this year, he has a fully functional miniscule kitchen, but he makes the most amazing use of it! He cooks dinner several nights a week, he & his friends have Pot Luck nights on the weekend. He's a good cook, he enjoys it. He's been cooking for me during break! He walks to Safeway once a week and stocks up... fills in periodically at 7-11.</p>
<p>Can sophomores sign up to room with a junior and/or senior? If so will housing go by the upper classman's dorm request? How would this work?</p>
<p>Yes, sophomores can select to live with a junior or senior group (this is called being 'pulled in' to a room) with two exceptions. Sophomores (because of DC Zoning restrictions agreement with GW) cannot live in City Hall or 1959 E St. City Hall is a junior hall and 1959 E St. is a senior hall. Your child would be placed with the junior or senior group and the dorm they receive, so long as the roomate group is not selecting City Hall or E St. The housing application allows for several choices of dorms (and I believe roommates, but not sure of the roommate thing). The only thought I have is that housing is not guaranteed for upperclassmen, so the group your child plans/hopes to get pulled in with, may not get housing at all. Which will leave your student to get assigned to a second or lower choice, or assigned randomly by housing if no other choices are listed...something to be careful and aware of. My D is a rising senior and she has gotten her first choice of dorms and roommates for all three years, so the process has worked well for her and she has been happy with her housing. There will be many meetings on campus to explain the housing options and also tours of the dorms. It is well worth it to take the time to attend one of these meetings/tours to be fully informed about the online process, which for rising sophomores will be Feb. 18-22. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>OK, now the question is how bad are the chances that the upper classmen will get pulled "down" into sophomore housing vs our d getting pulled "up" in to junior or senior housing. It's our understanding that it can go either way. Of course GW housing ppl cannot give out statistics so what is the word on the street from those of you who have done it?</p>
<p>Bump please</p>