<p>I got accepted to Rice as a transfer, and they informed me that the residential colleges are full/reserved. As an international student, I'm kinda worried because it means that I have to find off-campus housing all the way from here. So is housing next to Rice hard to find or expensive? And when/how should i start looking for a place to stay there? Thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>Please call Rice, and ask to talk to the off-campus housing advisor. They should be able to help you a little with this. Are you sure there is no oncampus housing left? (Even if there is none, get on the waiting list, because things can open up) An article in the Thresher said that there were still beds available in several of the colleges, so you might ask about that. :) Don't worry - it will work out!</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. I'm gonna sign up on the waiting list. But just in case I wasn't offered on-campus housing in the end, is housing next to Rice hard to find and/or too expensive?</p>
<p>I forgot to mention another option. There are several places within walking distance from Rice that offer a room for rent (all bills paid), furnished, with kitchen privileges. Here is the link to the online housing guide. <a href="http://offcampus.rice.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://offcampus.rice.edu/</a> Look at the places that are less than one mile, or 1-2 miles from Rice. (The distance is measured from the front gate, so some of the places in the "1-2 miles from Rice" section are actually 1/2 mile or less from the Rice. Also look for people looking for roommates. You can also check out the print "Off-campus housing guide". That contains bigger apartment buildings closeish to Rice. One of them offers a shuttle to Rice and the medical center.</p>
<p>This is really helpful, there are tons of places to chose from... Thanks a lot for your time :)</p>
<p>You're welcome! Just make sure you click on the link to see where the place is located, since some of the places far away default to the "less than one mile" group, since the poster didn't include this information. :)</p>
<p>I wouldn't rule out the availability of on-campus housing entirely - it depends on which college you're placed in, how many of the rooms reserved for returning students were not claimed (and a larger number of colleges will have extra rooms available next year than normal) and how many freshmen decline on campus housing.</p>
<p>I don't know why they are telling you all the rooms are full, because I am certain that there are at least some open spots at Lovett. Here is an article released April 13 in the Thresher discussing the availability of rooms at some of the colleges <a href="http://the.ricethresher.org/news/2007/04/13/students_off_campus%5B/url%5D">http://the.ricethresher.org/news/2007/04/13/students_off_campus</a></p>
<p>"Martel, which was forced to bump 52 students in 2005 and 14 last year, now finds itself with 11 extra beds.</p>
<p>Ellis, a junior, speculated that students may be moving away to avoid living next to the construction site of the 10th and 11th colleges.</p>
<p>Lovett College now has seven unclaimed beds for next year, continuing a trend from last year, and Jones College has nine."</p>
<p>And I disagree with that speculation. Your situation is very similar to the situation of one of my new students in my O-week group. She was an international transfer and they told her that she wouldn't be able to find housing so she went and found an apartment and something like the next day they told her that a bed opened up, but she already had her apartment settled. I don't know if that is any more comforting to you though. Maybe this is one of those things where the squeeky wheel gets the oil.</p>
<p>Oh an if you are placed in a college that doesn't have any housing open, you can request to be placed in a different one with room. A transfer my year was originally placed in Jones but switched to Lovett because Jones was filled. Some people completely switch to the new college and others just live there for the year without being officially offiliated with the college.</p>