powderpuff

I'm pretty sure that within the first 2 weeks of the semester a person can request a change, like for instance two roommates who hate each other. I have no first hand experience with this, but couldn't a person submit a change request to housing and maybe be that person that they switch roommates with?? I mean they gotta switch people with other people?? But if two folks don't get along that could be a warning flag and not necessarily a better situation.

Kamaro1

"Many kids move off-Grounds their 2nd year and will start to look at apartments in late fall. So keep that in mind. By then kids are figuring out who they might want to room with on or off-Grounds."

Yeah, so I hear. But at that point, they've had their "college dorm" experience and either like it or move on. If UVA is trying to drive my D to off-grounds, they're doing a heck of a great job. Gee, even Bernie Madoff will have a roommate this fall! Can't believe she turned down five schools for this.

veshch

i wish my parents cared so much about me whining about my housing allocation. i am an international student who has no relatives in america and nor have i ever been there. granted that i may be quite bratty about my housing situation, i think i realize that at the age of 18, i need to learn to adjust and deal with little things myself.

also... i believe that VA and GA tech cannot be compared to UVA at the end of the day. i don't think you should be encouraging your daughter's issue with this whole housing situation.

this is so odd though. in UK, everyone wants single ensuite rooms which are way more expensive than shared rooms.

novaswim7

Kamaro1: bitter much? it is hereford, not huntford, by the way. someone has to be in hereford for if it wasn't your daughter it would be someone else. the housing application is for them to consider, not for them to strictly adhere to everyone's wishes. and jail cells are no where near as nice as hereford.

HooKnowsDorms

Does anyone know if McCormick's single rooms are ONLY the "stairwell" rooms? Are the ceilings slanted in those rooms? (other postings say "yes" but only for the top floors). Is there even a window in those stairwell rooms? (strange question, yes, but the floorplan diagrams clearly show windows in other McCormick rooms but NOT the stairwell singles). Are the beds lofted in these singles, and if yes, how high? Does anyone know of a student who liked these stairwell rooms??

Finally, how do the room numbers work? What room number would indicate a single? The bed assignment says "A1", but "no roommate assigned".

Just trying to brace myself for the worst, especially since there's noone at Housing to speak to until this loooooong holiday weekend is over.

wahoogrl08

I would hardly call orientation indicative of Hereford as a whole. During Orientation you spend one night there, you can't decorate and many people are not going to foster their year-long (or college-long) friendships in one or two days. There is so much more that takes place during Fall orientation and the first few weeks of classes (activity fair, dorm activities, the social aspect of UVA Football games) that your daughter/son/disgruntled dorm'er should focus on that instead.

ThaRussian

there's a bus that pulls up right in the Hereford complex every once in a while, so it's not that isolated from the main Grounds, and you won't always have to walk

shoebox10

Kamaro: your attitude is only going to make things worse for your D. You, as a parent, should put on a happy face and try to encourage your D to look forward to college and the lack of a slob, alcoholic, weirdo, whacko, etc type person as a roommate. Instead, you're laying out the worst for her, telling her she shouldn't have put up with this "crap" from a "state school". Grow up and be an adult. A fourth year in college should not have to tell you this.
EVERYONE on here is telling you that this is NOT the end of the world. Everyone in Hereford is in a single (ok, maybe a handful of doubles, but still) and will WANT to mingle. Your D won't be strapped into one person, having to please them and hang out with them. Instead, she'll have a ton of other people, in the same situation as her, wanting to break out of their shell. UVa spent a year redesigning the bus routes so that she has two, or more, VERY convenient bus routes. And for those times she doesn't want to take the bus, she will be some of the lucky few who LOSE the freshman 15. She'll make tons of friends in her classes and end up sleeping on an air mattress or two in Old or New Dorms. Friends will want to come to her place for the privacy. I know you don't want to hear this, but a potential boyfriend and her might find some quiet time alone. And I'm 110% positive that all of the floor's doors will be wide open and everyone will be in the hallways having fun and enjoying each other's company.
So, PUT A SMILE ON. FOR YOUR OWN DAUGHTER'S SAKE. Make her excited, try to find some goodness in it, and if she still hates it, put in a room change request. Right now, it'll be hard to move. During the first week or two, things will open up (people occasionally just don't show up on Day 1...and eventually, never)
This is your D's college experience. It's supposed to be one of a lifetime. DO NOT make her go into it with such negative feelings, or you will severely regret it, I promise you. If my mother did this to me, I would have moved out. Swear to the cosmic powers. You need to support her and love her in the last full days you have with her. Get it together, for everyone's sake. And if you hate UVA that much, either tell your poor D that she just can't come and go to CC for a year, or shush up and try to see the beauty and exceptional educational and social experience UVa has to offer to your D.

PS- putting Maddoff and UVa in the same sentence is cruel. That man was an economic terrorist. UVa simply doesn't have enough "perfect" housing for everyone.

galoisien

Chill guys. A roommate is a roommate. I know some people make great besties with their roommate, but there are hordes of other people in your hall who will be like, 3 metres away. Okay, you're sharing a room ... does that provide significantly more intimacy between friends that a mere hallmate relationship wouldn't afford?

OH NOES MY POTENTIAL COLLEGE BESTIES WON'T BE SLEEPING NEXT TO ME THEY'LL BE ACROSS THE HALLWAY INSTEAD

galoisien

re: hurtford/huntford, etc. Does anyone still pronounce it "hear-ford" like me? I picked up the appropriate pronunciation of Newcomb pretty quickly, tho...

hazelorb

i say it hair-uh-ford

galoisien

I forgot about the "hair-ford" pronunciation. Oops. Yeah that's pretty common too, though I think housekeeping calls it "hurr-ford" more often.

(But I didn't know there was a variant with 3 syllables?)

db123

Yup. They're the only single rooms. The top floors are slanted but the rest are not. If your room number starts with a 3, you have the third floor. There is a window. The bed is lofted with a desk underneath. I'm not sure of the exact height, but I'm going to guesstimate 5 feet. There is a ladder so you'll be fine. The girl who lived in the single on my floor was just like anyone else on our hall. She loved having the stairwell room because she could have her privacy if she wanted and if she wanted to hang out, she would walk literally 3 steps and be in our hall.

And you definitely don't have it the worst. A lot of people end up loving their singles in McCormick. There are less than 30 of them, so you're one of the lucky 30. You have privacy and great location.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but your daughter has yet to START her first year. How can you already decide that about her first year experience? Your college experience (1st, 2nd, 3rd year whatever) is what you make of it.



Kamaro, seriously, get off your high horse. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech are great schools, but a huge number of students declined their acceptance at VTech to come here. One of my best friends goes to Georgia Tech; he was rejected at UVa. I know at least 5 students who rejected Harvard to come here, 6 rejected Columbia, 8 rejected Yale, etc. I rejected Hopkins, and I'm sure more CCers here can tell you of schools they turned down to come to UVa. (If my memory serves me correctly, powder turned down a full ride at UNC Chapl Hill to come here.) Your daughter may be smart, but there are a hell of a lot of kids here who are on par, if not smarter. Turning down 5 schools is nothing. And she's in Hereford, so she's not even Rodman or Echols; they live in Alderman. If she was stellar at her high school, there's a good chance she'll be "average" at UVa. It's just the nature of the student body; everyone shined at their high school. Everyone achieved, was a leader, had great stats, etc.

galoisien

Haha, I remember a friend who had a stairwell room. She was pretty satisfied about it, but she'd always apologise whenever she welcomed people into her room because the lack of open space always meant it was really messy! But I do agree it's a great mix of privacy and sociality.

parent2009

Anybody know anything about Hancock? Just curious. Our daughter would have been happy anywhere . . .