Is "overbooking" common?

Parents Forum
1

<p>My coworker went to drop her freshman D off last weekend and commented that she was lucky to get a slot at the dorm because there were hundreds (out of <2,000) who had been put up in hotel suites temporarily. The school told her this was not unusual and they anticipated “shrinkage” during the first few weeks so that all (or most) would get permanent housing in dorms. Is this the norm - several percent of freshers discontinuing after coming and enrolling?</p>

2

<p>It’s the norm at some public colleges that accept a lot of students who aren’t really qualified or can’t afford the college, and can’t get enough financial aid.</p>

3

<p>My freshman year my small LAC put 50 students into a nearby motel for a semester. My sophomore year my big state U had 250 men on cots in the basketball arena. Most were out before the first home game…
Common factor: bad economy. This was the year someone paid for the famous billboard in Seattle “Will the last person to leave Seattle please turn off the lights?” It’s hard for them to predict how many of the kids they accept will be able to actually show up.
Yield predictions are tough in the best of times.</p>

4

<p>My rather selective and expensive LAC put about a dozen kids up in a local motel for the first few weeks of my freshman year. It happens. </p>

<p>“Yield predictions are tough in the best of times.” So true!</p>

5

<p>My nephew is in a forced quad at his selective LAC. The class is oversubscribed and he submitted his housing form late.</p>

6

<p>Last fall S2’s big state u. put a hundred or so freshmen up in off campus apts. due to lack of dorm space. All were placed back in the dorms within a couple months.
The univ. waits 10 days to give everyone a chance to show up before making room changes. Some kids who pay the dorm room deposit decide to go elsewhere and just never show up. That happened to one of S2’s friends. His roommate never showed so after 10 days one of the off-campus apt. dwellers was moved into his room.</p>

<p>When I was a freshman 29 years ago, I was tripled due to lack of dorm space.</p>