Why is it that the housing process is producing so many mini-meltdowns? As a newcomer to Guilford, I didn’t really have a choice about where to live my first semester, so I never worried about it. But now I see my suitemates and friends all freaking out and I find myself wondering: what’s the big deal?
Well, according to some, it is a very big deal.
So here’s the dorm breakdown:
First-years live in Milner or Binford. A majority of sophomores live in Bryan. For those who don’t want to live in co-ed dorms, men and women can choose English or Mary Hobbs and Shore, respectively. Then there are the South Apartments, the North Apartments, and Hodgin’s Retreat. These last three are usually top choice for upperclassmen. One appeal of these is the fact that you get your own room, and privacy is an important factor for a lot of people.
A lot of people have been trying to obtain apartments, but to no avail. As it turns out, seniority is priority, as upperclassmen tend to get better lottery numbers. That makes sense, though.
For those of us who still have two or three more years here, I’m sure we will manage to get our choice of housing for one of them. It seems reasonable to be mad if it was your last year of school and you ended up in Bryan because sophomores and juniors took all the good places.
And on that note, it would be extremely annoying to become stuck in an undesirable housing situation because of a clerical error, which happens more frequently than comfort-levels allow.
Another requirement for acquiring an apartment is to have a full group of people to live with. This is frustrating when three people want to live together in an apartment and are denied the chance because they can’t find a fourth person in time. It is sensible that a single person or even two people shouldn’t be able to reserve an apartment for four when there is limited room and high demand, but there should be some exceptions.
What about transfer students? If someone transfers in before their junior or senior year they will most likely be put in Bryan or a single-sex dorm — they have almost no option of having their own room.
It is, admittedly, a frustrating process, but come on, people, it’s not the end of the world. When school starts up again, there are bound to be drop-outs and people going off to foreign countries, and spaces will open up. So by all means, freak out if you get stuck in a crappy living situation. But there is a time and a place, and both have yet to come — plus, I’m sick of hearing you complain.