Minnesota has long been one of my top choices for college next year. I was recently admitted to the University. I visited the campus last week and loved it.
However, University of Washington in Seattle is a close 2nd choice and I will not hear back from them until March. I have not visited the campus, but it looks beautiful. I love the PNW style and it is ranked slightly better than Minnesota. It is a 4.5 hr flight from my home as opposed to the 1 hr flight from Minnesota (so I won’t be able to see my family as often). I also do not like how Washington requires a certain GPA for freshman to be accepted to their major.
Would there be any advantage as far as housing/roommate search goes to committing to Minnesota now?
Thanks!
You don’t need to commit now. You need to commit by May 1. Plenty of time to make a decision.
In the meantime, you can pay a $25 non-refundable housing reservation fee to hold your place in line for UMN housing. You can specify some initial choices but can change them at anytime before May 2017. The housing application for Fall 2017 is now open so it’s a good idea to sign up ASAP. You will NOT need to pay an enrollment fee in order to do this, BTW.
Good luck with your other choices and with your overall decision!
Should I still send the housing application if I do not have a roommate in mind yet? I want to take the time to find one rather than have one matched to me. Can I still pick a roommate later if i send the app now?
Yes. Get the $25 fee paid first and foremost. The application itself (roommate selection, dorm preference, LLC preference if any) can all be done at a later time. Even if you need to specify some choices now, those are absolutely re-doable anytime before May 2017. When you begin the application it will explain how they look at your preferences to determine a roommate. Pretty sure that specific roommate requests will rank first and you’ll need to specify the other person’s ID (or something similar to that). They’ll need to do the same for you.
How does the cost of the two compare?
As far as requesting a roommate goes, LLC’s have preference over mutual roommate requests. If you and your roommate pick different LLC’s, you won’t be rooming with them.
@vivalawolfy - yes, thanks for that correction/clarification! In strict ranking, the first priority is actually LLC, second is roommate request, and third is building and room type. Here is what the application says about how to handle both an LLC request and a roommate request:
“Roommate: Some LLC’s require both roommates to be in the LLC. If you enter a Mutual Roommate Request and this person does not select the same LLC, we may not be able to assign you together. If your preference is to be assigned with your Mutual Roommate Request over getting into your preferred LLC, then select “None” for LLC Preference and proceed to the Mutual Roommate Request section.”