<p>So I'm a rising sophomore who transferred this past spring (weird freshmen spring transfer thing, not too common), and I feel pretty screwed by housing because by the time you get here in the spring, people already have friends/know who they're going to be blocking with. Blocking with someone is the easiest way of securing a good time slot if you have multiple people (multiple chances for a good time). I sort of feel like Housing should have helped me out on this one.. since I'm not ready to live off-campus after only having been here for a semester... but it's okay I guess. </p>
<p>Anyway... I don't know if I'm going to be blocking with anyone, and the few people on my floor who I'm friends with who I might be blocking have a later time slot than mine. My slot is 7:40 on the 10th. Not terrible, but not great either. From everything I've heard, everything on West (at least in the new dorms) is gone within a few time slots. Is this true? </p>
<p>My next question is what I should do if I can't get on West in any way next year. Does anyone have any opinions about good on-campus dorms that aren't in West? Having been there a few times, I've got to say that I don't think I would mind living in Risley. However, I missed the application deadline to live there. Do you think some rooms might still be available during the lottery that I could snag? </p>
<p>If not Risley, there are all these other random dorms (112 Edgemoor? 14 South?) that seem so mysterious to me. And then there's Cascadilla/Sheldon Court.. but again I'm not really sure if I'd want to live in Collegetown because I kind of still want an on-campus meal plan and I want to feel like I'm on campus, you know? Maybe I'm getting the wrong impression about it. </p>
<p>Anyway, if I could get any advice from some Cornellians that would make my day :) I'm just in a jam here...</p>
<p>since housing is guaranteed for sophomores you can definitely end up somewhere on campus. blocking also feels a bit unfair to someone like me who’s rather shy, and didn’t have friendships that meant I wanted to live by people after just a semester at school. lots about the housing system feels a bit unfair, really.
it is true that of the regular house buildings are gone very early in the lottery. the gothics might go fast, but it’s hard to know because this is the first year they’ll all be in the lottery after having been in the in-house lottery as well. (because this is the first year the west campus housing system is complete.) if you can get into the gothics, you’re all set, because you’ll definitely feel like you’re on campus, you’ll have the meal plan, and you’ll have a good shot at getting into the main buildings (if you like that sort of thing) your junior year through the in-house lottery. you might find you like the gothics, so keep an open mind about that.
the other random dorms seem very mysterious to me as well. I honestly have never met anyone who lives in them, which could mean a lot of things about both me and them.
I have never been to Cascadilla but I’ve been in Sheldon court and I thought the interior and the rooms were very nice. I wouldn’t mind living there at all.
(I have never looked into this, but do you mean that if you live in collegetown you can’t get a meal plan even if you want one? if so I’m having trouble finding that information, but I’m not brilliant at websites either…)</p>
<p>But they are helping you out, by guaranteeing all sophomores housing.</p>
<p>The random houses are just that, random houses. Typically feature upperclassmen who want a smaller setting but don’t want to join a co-op, Greek house, or go off-campus. They typically cook on their own there.</p>