Cavalier07

Hey everyone. I know that the housing assignment notification that came by email last week made it clear that requests for assignment changes would not be honored until after move-in and a little bit into the school year. However, with good enough reasoning and persuasion most policies can be bent a little.

What I'm wondering is, has any current student or parent of a current student had experience with trying to change a housing assignment before the start of the school year (basically soon after the assignments are sent out)? Were the people at Housing receptive or helpful at all, or did they just repeat the policy over and over and refuse to make the change? Does anyone think, despite their written policy, that it is possible to change your housing assignment now?

SportsMama

My daughter just received her assignment today. She requested the Women in Engineering dorm, but did not get in. Apparently, they were full in mid-May. I'm really upset because I didn't want her to go to OSU to begin with, but felt a little bit better knowing she was going to be in a smaller community within the large community. I have requested to be put on a waiting list, but I'm not counting on that. Right now I'm saying, "Why did you switch from Virginia Tech?"

On another note, she has four people in one bedroom. (They told me that this year it would also be like that in the Women in Engineering dorm, too.) I I'm not thinking that will be very conducive to getting much sleep, especially if you're a light sleeper. The other room has four desks, and a chair. I;m wondering where you would put a tv--not that you would have any place to sit and watch it. Well, at least that's what it looks like from the diagram online.

fencersmother

My D was there in a quad placement this summer for an extended sports camp. Very crowded conditions and there was no studying going on. I would suggest bringing the absolute minimum to school. As I recall, the only secure locations in the rooms were one locking drawer (in a 4-drawer dresser shared by 4 women). Very tight conditions there at OSU.

MaryTN

I'm so sorry she didn't get in the WIE dorm. Is she in an Honors dorm? If not, I would ask for the change now despite what the rules say.

We toured the 2-room with a bath set up on one of our visits and the kids seemed happy enough. My D spent the night on the floor during her sleepover visit and she said it was fine. I think you just have to put on a happy face and look for the positives. D said they told her several good things about the group of 4: #1 You'll get along with at least one of the group and #2 There's always someone who will do stuff with you. Does your D like to study with headphones and music? At Orientation they stressed that the kids who wisely use their daytime hours to study will have an easier time in the evenings.

There are 168 hours in a week. When I was in college I wasted ~160/week!!!

SportsMama

Yes, Mary, she is in an honors dorm. I am trying to look for the positives, but I honestly can't find any. I truly can't imagine have two sets of bunk beds in such a small room. I can't imagine trying to sleep with one other stranger (but of course I know they have to), let alone three other people.

So there will be no lofting to create extra space because it is already filled with people. Glad I didn't order one ahead of time. Glad I didn't get a futon, either. I can't imagine four people living in such a small space with no room to watch tv. She better tell her friends to cancel their visits because there's not even enough room for the people who live there. This is turning out even worse that I had imagined.

Yes, I realize I should probably delete this post, but I'm just crazy enough right now to post it anyway.

MaryTN

Can I give you a cyber hug? {{{{Hug}}}}

I know you just want the best for your daughter. She's lucky to have a mom who cares. Which dorm is she in? Do they have a Facebook group like Lincoln does?

When we toured the 2-room dorm, several of the guys in one room had little TVs on their desks because they need them for video gaming. They had laptops on there as well. (Can anyone tell me why you can't hook up a video game system to a computer screen?) They can use ear buds if necessary. The four desk room and the four bed room are somewhat separate. The kids will do fine.

Cavalier07

"On another note, she has four people in one bedroom. (They told me that this year it would also be like that in the Women in Engineering dorm, too.) I I'm not thinking that will be very conducive to getting much sleep, especially if you're a light sleeper."

This is a major issue for me and the main reason I want to request a room change before I even move in. I requested a double but got stuck in a quad, in a layout with all four beds (two bunks about three feet apart) in a tiny bedroom. I'm a fairly light sleeper and can't fall asleep if people are walking in and out of the bedroom at random hours and making a lot of noise or snoring loudly. In a double it's easy enough to have a sleep schedule and noise agreement, since you only have one roommate to deal with. However, a quad presents a whole bunch of difficulties, from the safety of your belonings to sleeping to just having enough room to bring what you need.

But back to my original question, has anyone here made or heard of an early room change, even though it's supposedly not allowed?

Cavalier07

As a side note, I'm going to call OSU Housing tomorrow afternoon and plead my case. I'll post a basic transcript of my call on this thread for reference.

SportsMama

Thanks for the hug, Mary. I needed it!!!

Yes, she is in an honors dorm (Taylor Tower). I had no idea they put four people in one room to sleep. We just assumed (uh oh) that she would be able to get into the WIE dorm like her friend did last year, so we never even considered this possibility. I don't know if they have a Facebook group. My daughter got her tonsils out yesterday and then we came home and checked the e-mail to find out this info. She's still pretty medicated at this point, which is probably a good thing. She didn't look too happy about having three roommates or about living in a tower.

Like Cavalier said, it's easy enough to make an agreement about sleeping, noise, etc. when you are dealing with one other person, but three? I looked at a picture of what the room will look like and those beds are crammed in there.

Cavalier, I'm sorry. I didn't meant to hijack your thread. I did contact the housing department yesterday and they said there is no room in the WIE dorm so they would put her name on a list. I'm not sure if they just said that to placate me. I e-mailed them again last evening and asked if there was anything else I could do. I also contacted the WIE program. At this point I would probably ask to have her moved anywhere on North campus where she would have only one roommate. I will talk to my daughter today and see what she wants to do. I hope she will be a little more "with it" today.

I'll let you know if I get any response.

osufunguy

I don't mean to sound crass or too forward...but freshman living on North Campus will always live in a four-person room. It doesn't matter if you request for two-people, you'll be assigned to a four-person because all the upperclassmen get first picks on dorm assignments.

I assure you, students living on North Campus will be just as successful as people in two-person rooms as well. But if your daughter wants to live with just one other person, she needs to either move to South Campus or West Campus (where she'll still be part of a 10-person suite.)

Tons of students every year live on North Campus without any problem. Believe me, a two-person room on South Campus isn't any more conducive to sleeping/studying than a place on North. You still have a roommate who will probably have slightly different habits than yourself. It's an adjustment that all students make, and it's an adjustment she would've had to make no matter where she had attended.

To answer your question Cavalier, I would say the only room changes available will not be moving from a four to a two-person room on North Campus, but more like if you're willing to move to South Campus.

SportsMama

I guess it's a matter of expectations. My daughter's friend lived in the WIE dorm last year and she had two people in a bedroom. She was a freshman. I thought that's what she would probably be getting. She's not, so that's the way it is. I hope she can sleep. I hope her roommates can sleep.

It goes beyond the living arrangements, too. She is also not iliving n the WIE community. I was counting on that. She's shy and I thought the built in support would be very helpful. Oh, well.

osufunguy

No matter what dorm she lives in, I think your daughter will still find a very close knit community of people. I lived in a honors dorm my freshman and sophomore years and it ended up being two amazing, wonderful years.

SportsMama

Osufunguy, did you have four people in a bedroom? If so, do you have any tips?

SportsMama

Cavalier, I did get a response from housing. They said they would not be making any changes until three weeks into the quarter. My daughter isn't thrilled with the arrangement, but she is pretty shy and said she would not change after she has moved in, so I guess she will have three roommates. And looking on the bright side, if she doesn't have time to get to the RPAC, climbing 12 flights of stairs multiple times a day will help keep her fit.

osufunguy

No, I did the two-person thing down on South Campus. But I have PLENTY of friends that did the four-person and they think North Campus is the greatest place in the world.