UF Housing Help! IDK How Housing Works

So I paid my housing application fee yesterday, Feb 19, but they didn’t ask me for what I wanted. Do I have to wait for them to contact me? And what are the chances I’ll get the dorm I want? I dont know how the housing stuff works, can someone please explain to me what I have to do? I dont want a dorm with community bathrooms!

It’s been two years since we went through this, so please correct me if anyone has more up to date info (or if I’m getting something wrong…).

First, community bathrooms are a pain, but the dorms that have them tend to be much more social. It’s important that you try to make friends during your freshman year. Join some clubs, volunteer, join an engineering design team, get a part time job, but do something. It will make your freshman year much more fun. A “social” dorm can help, but if you do pick a Beaty, then you need to compensate by getting more involved in campus activities. Keep that in mind.

You will be able to go online and make a selection.

You have three options. First, you can pick a Living Learning Community (LLC). If selected, you will get placed into the dorm. If you have picked out roommates before hand, they will be placed into the same dorm.

https://www.housing.ufl.edu/programs-services/living-learning-communities/

Online, you will be able to select your top choices, and let UF place you into a dorm. You can select your roommate before hand, or let UF match you to a roommate.

Finally, and what most students do, is you can go through the online selection process. Based on your priority date (the date you submitted that housing deposit in the fall), on a certain date and time, you’ll be able to go online, see what dorms are available and make a selection. Some will be available, some will NOT. If you have a roommate, after you select a room, you can “pull” them into the same room. If your roommate has a higher priority date, and can pick first, then they can pick the room and pull you in. If you select a room, but don’t have a roommate, UF will match you to a roommate, no worries.

Will one of your choices be available? I don’t know. They will always have one of the standard freshman dorms (with community bathrooms!) available to be selected. The earlier you select (or your roommate), may improve your chances at the other housing halls.

Good Luck!

Thank you, @Gator88NE, for another one of your usual very helpful posts! Do you know if my D can go online now and select her general preferences (resident type, etc.,) or is that not available until she is assigned her date and time to make selections? Thank you!

@Doublekk2 I don’t remember to be honest. We where able to do it before the online selection, but it may have been after paying the housing deposit. Your general preferences don’t matter if you go through the online selection process (it’s ignored), it only matters if you pick an LLC or want UF to handle the assignment.

You should receive an email from UF Housing that explains all of this.

Mine from LAST YEAR said, in part, "Beginning on February 23 and after you have completed your housing agreement, you will be able to select your housing preferences. You will be able to select a Living Learning Community*, room and building type, and roommate preferences. All preferences will be due by May 1, 2018. "

Further, it says “If you applied prior to December 1, 2017 you will be able to self-select your room. Creating a roommate group prior to building selection will be the most important preference to select if you have a specific roommate in mind. If you do not have a specific roommate we have a Facebook app called RoomSync that can help you find one. We will send you RoomSync access code within 1-2 weeks of completing your housing agreement. Most of our students chose not to select a specific roommate and connect with another Gator once they receive their new home together. We will be sending this information after you complete your agreement. Building selection for Fall admits who applied before December 1, 2017 will be on May 19-21.”

This cycle’s dates might be slightly different…

My son signed his housing contract and paid the $225 deposit. He received a confirmation email that both of those requirements were fulfilled. The message from UF Housing said, “Once that is complete the next step will be to select your room during your scheduled room selection time.”

I’m guessing he will receive another email prompting him to make his dorm selections once it is his turn to select a dorm? Is that correct?

@alliern Yes, they will be assigned a day and time in May to go into the portal and pick the building/room. The date and time is determined (mostly) by when the initial $25 was paid. Between now and then, your son should be able to select preferences and roommate in the portal when that opens up, if it has not already. Last year it was Feb 23rd, not sure this year.

@fl1234 Thank you so much!

My daughter is starting Summer B. Certain dorms are available for students Summer B with no move out- which extend thru Fall & Spring. Sounds great- but the dorm options don’t include daughter’s preferences. She is hearing from friends to live in Broward or Jennings. Of course this means a split contract- but only Infiniti Hall is offered to Summer B with split contract and it’s way out of the way, not a great option. Jennings has a LLC. Does she sign up for the LLC to get her placement in Jennings for fall or does that still qualify as a split contract?? BTW Mallory & Yulee available Summer B thru Spring…seem like fine options to me?? Do I just tell her to pick one of those and deal?

@gatormom318 My two cents is that she should try to get the best dorm for Fall/Spring. Summer B is only six weeks and flies by. She will meet other Summer B kids in whichever dorm she chooses. I would say that getting a preferred dorm in Fall/Spring trumps having to move in more than once. Summer B will be over in a minute. Move in/out is a pain but she doesn’t have to fully decorate her summer dorm or bring all of her stuff.