csshsm

Daughter called to get dorm assignment today, and got Wallach, which was her 5th or 6th choice. And the smallest room on the floor. She is feeling like Columbia hates her already. At Days on Campus they told us everybody usually gets their first or second choices. Does Columbia hate her? Has anybody lived in Wallach?

randomosity

Oh my god...Well I got housing as well today...I got a double in Hartley. Not only was Hartley not one of my choices; I absolutely did not want a double. I (somehow) managed to get switched to a single in Wallach (not a choice either, but was desp. for the single). Was that dumb? I read online that 75% of freshmen get their top housing choice and 90% get their 1st or 2nd choice, so I chose mostly at random after that. The Columbia rep I spoke to today was completely ignorant of this fact...I'm in the smallest room on the floor as well Wow, circumstances are really similar. I know Wallach isn't going to be a party dorm or anything...But it will be ok right?

Columbia2002

I was in a Wallach single freshman year. It was my first choice, actually. (Of course, this was before the silly LLC.) I wanted a single but suite-style living rather than a hall. I had a room that was less than 100 sq ft, which is pretty damn tiny.

You'll be fine wherever you are. You're going to make friends (or not) if you want to (or don't want to).

ThatsFunny

yes, columbia hates your daughter and that's why they accepted her out of 18,000+ applicants. someone has to be apart of the 25% that don't get their first choice -- wallach is a fine dorm and there are lots of ways to maximize a small space -- shelving on the walls and storage under the bed, etc.

columbia2007

Some of the happiest freshmen I know live in Wallach. Your daughter will be able to make friends across classes and have a kitchen and a common space in her first year. If she feels isolated from other freshmen, John Jay and its dining hall, lounges, and rooms are directly connected by hallway, and John Jay kids have to use the computer lab in her building.

She should be glad; Hartley-Wallach have their own application process for upperclassmen partly because so many people want to live in a suite environment directly in the central campus.

csshsm

Thanks so much for your constructive comments. She will be glad to hear what you said and that one can learn to love 92 square feet!
I am more concerned about the "No AC" than the lack of space. She has lived an air-conditioned life, so that will be an interesting adjustment. A nice fan will be our first NY purchase.

Columbia2002

Is the in the _A1 or _C1? That sounds like the 92 sq ft room. It's not that bad, really. There are other rooms that are <100 sq ft that have worse layouts.

No AC is only a problem for the first and last months of the year. She'll deal with ti.

columbia2007

No AC in the room also = an excuse to leave and socialize. Or study, I suppose.

And 92 square feet is luxurious compared to the 81 square foot room a friend of mine had in Claremont. His bed was lofted over his desk. At least the room included a private toilet.

isuperwang

I lived in Wallach my freshman year and stayed in the LLC for my sophomore year (moved to Hartley). I think you should consider yourself lucky, everyone tries to get into Hartley/Wallach sophomore year, you're almost guranteed a single.

+ the people are really nice, John Jay is next door, it's not a big deal. Some of the people I met my first 2 years in those dorms were some of the best friends I have today.

vrgulati

i just got a hartley double, although it was my fifth or sixth choice. i really don't want a LLC, so i'm going to ask to switch.

Columbia2002

Um, who do you plan to switch with? They didn't give you your 6th choice because they ignored your preferences; you just got terribly unlucky in the random lottery. Everyone who got screwed wants to "switch" (who doesn't?), but fails to realize there's nowhere to switch to.

A couple weeks after school starts, they start taking applications for room transfers. But, that's really only for the purpose of having getting a different roommate if you hate yours.

vrgulati

actually, i'm not the only prefrosh requesting to switch - in fact, housing has a list of people who have requested.

Columbia2002

I said that everyone who got screwed wants to switch. Nobody who got their top choice or is in a good dorm wants to switch. There's just nowhere for you to go. The "list" is meaningless. Is someone in a Furnald single going to want to go into your Hartley double? Likely not.

columbia2007

I've seen freshman switch, but usually not until after the first semester. Some students transfer out and make room for others fleeing their roommates.

Lupin435

I was originally assigned a Wallach Double, which was (I'm pretty sure) my fourth choice. I happened to be visiting New York (beginning of June) with my sister, so I stopped at Columbia to see if I could change preferences, but the woman was literally on the computer finalizing assignments; she told me I was in Wallach, and I asked if it was possible to switch it to John Jay; none were open, but she offered to "put a note on my application in case one opens up", so she did, I guess. I thought the odds of that happening were really slim: why would a freshman dorm open up?

In the weeks before I got my letter in the mail, I found all of the pros of Wallach: the "full college experience" of having a roomate, the kitchen with stoves, the suite-style living, etc.

I was so excited when I opened my letter, and I was rummaging through it looking for my roomate info when I found that I was in John Jay. I was a little frustrated, since I now had to convince myself that I originally DID want that dorm . . . Whew!


I guess the moral of the story is to have an open mind about what you're getting. I would have been happy -- after a day or two of sulking, of course =) -- with anything I was assigned. Wallach really does seem really nice, both online, and in person.

And . . . I'm done.