<p>Hey all,</p>
<p>does anyone know how the housing selection process works for transfer students? I know we're guaranteed housing but I'd like to know what my chances are with regard to getting a good dorm. I have a friend who transferred last year and got into EC as a sophomore...but I've heard bad things about transfer housing assignments too.</p>
<p>Basically some rooms (very good rooms) are put aside for incoming transfer students during the normal student lottery. Honestly as a transfer last year I got a better room than I did as a regular rising junior this year (shoulda said yes to living with the potheads in Ruggles). </p>
<p>The entire sixth floor of EC is reserved to transfer students with average size doubles each with their own bathrooms. There are also a handful of singles with their own bathrooms in Nussbaum and other good singles in Broadway, Schapiro, etc.</p>
<p>I even know of 4 transfer students who got put together in one EC high-rise because it happened to be available at the time.</p>
<p>Bottom line: Transfer students are spread all over campus but get very good rooms. Don’t worry too much (though you will likely won’t get your assignment until a week before move-in…next week I guess. Boy the time goes…)</p>
<p>whoa! okay, so…just went on SSOL and found out where i’m living. i got a single in a suite in 600 west 113…is this good? :)</p>
<p>Yes, 600 W 113th (also known as “Nussbaum” because its first floor is occupied by the popular deli, Nussbaum & Wu) is a good dorm. It’s apartment-style, was only recently converted from graduate housing a few years ago, and having a single there is excellent by comparison to most places. Even seniors will occasionally opt to live there (at least for the rooms with a private bathroom). It’s a good place. Not the very best on campus, but probably the 4th or 5th best dorm out of 17.</p>
<p>Just wondering, why would Columbia reserve good dorms for transfers, bypassing its own students? I mean, what does C gain by doing that (and possibly infuriating Columbians who weren’t so lucky in the lottery)?</p>
<p>Anyone else in a brownstone?</p>
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<p>It increases both fairness and attractiveness for transfer students who, otherwise would all end up in McBain double and Wien shafts (the worst housing choices) because they would be the only ones left. It simply avoids them getting screwed by the system. </p>
<p>The housing lottery is very fair as is and it’s not like the transfers get the best Watt studios put on hold for them. They just get above average range rooms peppered across campus, which results in 2-3 rooms in each building. They do not get group suites either (except in rarer exceptions like the aforementioned EC one). </p>
<p>And in many cases transfer students can be at a loss arriving on campus and being put in buildings where everyone are existing students. They’re in many way freshmen that can’t live in freshman housing so it’s nice to have them ‘‘grouped’’ with other transfer students (EC6).</p>
<p>Maybe by reserving some good rooms for transfers, the next high-profile transfer to graduate from Columbia will have fonder memories of his/her experience than Barak Obama does. (Trust me on this–in his day, transfers got a truly rotten deal).</p>