Would love some guidance on IU housing process. We got an email that it opens Feb 1. Daughter hasn’t decided on schools yet (waiting on RD) but IU is in top three. Is there a benefit to applying for housing early? And can she start process and add roommate request later? She’s starting to talk to people on zeemee but I assume other kids are in same flux. First kid, so I’m clueless.
Also I understand that they don’t guarantee roommate requests but do they honor neighborhood requests? She thinks she wants NW for the social environment and liked McNutt when we walked campus. (Though it seems really far away from poli sci and media building where she would have most classes). Help?!
Same questions here! Surely we don’t need a roommate name now?!
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IU Housing applicants are in pools — all who submit requests between Feb. 1 and the 1st deadline (May 1?) are considered equally. There is no advantage to submitting Feb. 1 vs. April 30.
No request is truly guaranteed, so keep that in mind, except for LLC dorms. My IU sophomore was in the Luddy LLC as a freshman, so they knew which dorm they’d get because the LLC is in Teter. So if your student is doing an LLC that will guarantee a particular dorm. She shouldn’t worry much about the neighborhood, TBH. As underclassmen classes are all over the campus and while it’s a big campus it’s really more walkable than it seems. My kid never walked more than 20 minutes to a class.
Mine went random with the roommate selection, but I believe roommate requests are submitted with the app — but the app is not due until May 1 so you have time.
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Unless something has changed since last year - there is no benefit to applying before May 1 - they are all treated the same.
Yes, you can add a roommate before May 1.
When you complete your application, you select and rank three categories. Unfortunately, IU will only guarantee you your first ranked choice.
You rank in order of most important to least important:
(1)Choice of Roommate
(2)Neighborhood (Central, Southeast, Northwest)
(3) Cost Category (Enhanced $$ or Standard $) If you preference Standard, they won’t give you Enhanced, but if you preference Enhanced, you may get Standard.
You can rank any of these first, second and third.
So if you pick a roommate, you will get your roommate, but IU will put you wherever they fit you in at or below your cost preference.
Takeaway is don’t get your heart set on McNutt/Nothwest in general. Everyone wants Northwest, but not everyone can live there.
That said, my son and his roommate are currently in McNutt (and not in the business LLC). He got lucky as I learned after the complaints came flooding in on the parents’ page and among the others from his HS who went to IU.
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Does anyone have any insights on the neighborhoods or specific dorms? I ask because we were looking at UT Austin housing and there were known neighborhoods that were loud and known for parties, while some were really far, etc. etc. Wondering if that’s the case for IU. Son is a direct admit to Kelley, and not really big into parties.