Second-year College student Rob Sanchez is in a bit of a bind for the upcoming year.
He applied to be an Residential Advisor but did not pass the test. He also did not apply for on-Grounds housing.
"I guess I was kind of banking on getting an interview, and I didn't plan ahead," Sanchez said. "Now I just have to find someplace to live."
Sanchez will be starting on the search for off-Grounds housing, though he does not have any specific prospects yet.
"That was my fault," Sanchez said. "I'm not angry or anything, I'm just a little disappointed."
First-year Stacey Moody's housing strategy was based on planning ahead. She decided back in October that she would rather avoid the headache of the on-Grounds process, and signed a lease for an off-Grounds apartment with two friends.
"Basically, we started looking off-Grounds because it was a sure thing," Moody said. "I didn't want to deal with the hassle, and I didn't want to have to worry."
Moody also noted that accommodations were a driving factor in her decision, adding that both she and her roommates wanted to have a single room.
Moody's single room was a guarantee. But some students who had counted on singles were not left as satisfied.
Anne Deady, a third-year College student, had been assigned randomly to the International Residence College prior to her first year. Despite her initial disappointment, she greatly enjoyed the experience and decided to apply again for her second year.
This time, however, she opted for a single room -- a luxury she was not granted.
"I knew other people who had also wanted singles and were assigned to doubles," Deady said. "And I think that some of those people, who had already been living [in the IRC], had kind of thought that they'd get preference."
There was one oddity, however.
"There were also people who had requested doubles and ended up with singles," Deady said. "So it was just the opposite. That was definitely the biggest complaint."
Though on-Grounds housing does not always enjoy the best reputation among students, sometimes it does pay off.
Fourth-year College student Mike Rooney applied for on-Grounds housing with a group of friends in his first year. Bice was their first choice, but they didn't get placed there. Nor did they get placed in their second, or third, or fourth choices.
After a while, however, they were moved off the waiting list and into Bice House. There was just one problem -- the group had been split up.
"It was a hassle because we had all requested to be together, and then we had to go calling random people and ask if they would switch," Rooney said. "But eventually, we did all get to be together."
And, for those students who are holding their head in their hands, moaning "Woe is me," there is still time to scout for off-Grounds housing.
To help students with this process, Student Council's Housing Committee is sponsoring a series of workshops to be held every Thursday, starting today and continuing through April 29.
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