<p>My D just received her housing assignment and is disappointed with the outcome. She and her roommate got a McCormick dorm and were hoping for Alderman. Do you know if it’s possible to switch with another pair of girls who got Alderman and were wanting McCormick? Will housing allow this?</p>
<p>Why? McCormick is closer to everything.</p>
<p>Go on facebook to find people to switch. You will have to contact housing specifically to switch rooms before the year starts, usually they make you wait a month to switch rooms officially which is problematic for first years because everything is linked to your first year dorm (when you declare your major, you have to say your first year dorm for instance, that is just how they organize people I guess). So unless it is really a necessity I would avoid it. McCormack is closer and everything is random so I’m not sure why you would find it necessary to switch.</p>
<p>It’s more of an aesthetic and storage preference. McCormick dorms have one closet that two must share, and it’s a VERY small closet at that. (Bonnycastle and Hancock are the exceptions.) Alderman dorms have individual closets, more natural lighting, more storage and layout possibilities, and the large common suite. Locational convenience ranked second behind storage and aesthetics for her.</p>
<p>Will your daughter really be hanging up that many clothes? Most of her clothes will be stored in the captains drawers under the bed (which Alderman doesn’t have – you need to buy storage for under those beds). I say this from experience… of never hanging up my clothes (and I taught 2-4 times a week last year in dressy clothes, I would wash them and hang them to dry and then I would wear them again or otherwise avoid hanging them up in the closet).</p>
<p>I say this not to discourage Alderman dorms in general, but encourage you NOT to switch because it is a pain!!! don’t bother!! both dorms are great and there’s no reason to switch between the two.</p>
<p>When did your DD get her housing assignment? Did she get it in the mail?</p>
<p>CuriousMother…have your student go to the following link:</p>
<p>[McCormick</a> Road Residence Area, Housing Division, U.Va.](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/housing/options.php?id=mccormick&type=fy]McCormick”>http://www.virginia.edu/housing/options.php?id=mccormick&type=fy)</p>
<p>Then click on the left hand side “July 2nd View My Assignment”</p>
<p>Hazelorb…We’ve been trying to look at photos and imagine possibilities/potential for her room. It is what it is and all part of the randomness of the process. Thank you for your words of encouragement:)</p>
<p>Thank you, jc! If this makes you feel any better, my DD is in Webb, right next door to a construction site. There will be construction work Mon-Fri from 8am-6pm and an increase of dust! Agh!!!</p>
<p>McCormick rooms are small. If you need more space, I suggest getting bed riser and some under bed storage containers. My son also had a camping (foldable) closet at the end of the bed for additional storage. </p>
<p>We do not understand their room assignment either. My son requested Alderman got McCormick. He later learn his friend requested McCormick and got Alderman. Nothing to do with major, both are in engineering.</p>
<p>You can’t use bed risers with the captains beds. You can barely move them around with 2 people fyi (at least when my roommate and i tried to move my fully stuffed with stuff bed it didnt go well most times). A portable closet is a great idea if you have the space, my roommate had one my first year. Bavaro Hall that is almost done being built had constant construction in Brown too and I couldn’t really hear it that much, but I had class at 8am anyways so who knows. I could hear noise from the stairwell more (that is more of the complaints re noise I have heard re McCormack). And I thought you couldn’t request alderman or mccormack anymore because of the previous racial and diversity divide that once existed??</p>
<p>hazelorb, Sorry that was 3 years ago for my older son. My other son tells me the choices now is only single or double.</p>
<p>Yes, while the incoming first years may not be thrilled by not being able to express a preference, the racial and diversity issues are gone so it was a good decision by housing I think. My brother who goes to UMich didn’t get any say in his first year housing either and it was just fine so I think it is normal.</p>
<p>D was in Webb last year and it is not as bad as it sounds re: the construction.</p>
<p>Are all the McCormick dorms part of the old dorms? Or are some buildings more recently constructed?</p>
<p>No, McCormack = Old Dorms, all were built in the 1950s. 3rd dorms built at UVA.
Alderman = New Dorms, built in the 70s, being knocked down to build the new New Dorms like Kellogg.
Brown was built in the 1920s, the 2nd dorms built at UVA. Explains our cockroach problem…
Lawn built with the university in 1819/20s. At least these were the only ones built on slave labor…</p>
<p>I’m in McCormick - I’m concerned about this 1-closet thing too…</p>
<p>I’ve seen the McCormick dorms and the closet situation is manageable…but you can’t expect to have as much closet room as you do in your own home and you don’t really need that much space either. The drawers beneath the bed are quite adequate.</p>
<p>Also I put up a bunch of those Command 3M hooks and you can hang more things that way (jackets that you wear a lot – I had hooks by the door; purses; clothes you are drying; etc).</p>
<p>I had my own closet/wardrobe thing in Hereford and I didn’t even use it to hang things…I filled it up with a wire stacky-cube thing to put my clothes in…and I didn’t even use all of the drawers under my bed…I put food in one of them, and 2 of them I blocked off completely with a table by my bed since I never used them. The storage is definitely adequate…but then I’ve lived in army quarters all my life, so I’m not used to having a lot of closet space anyways :)</p>
<p>McCormick is small, but you’ll manage. Try to make the most of the shelves on top of the closets, and 3M hooks will be a life saver. Most students prefer them over the Alderman dorms.
…tell your daughter to be excited about college and grateful she’s not on gooch/dillard.</p>