<p>If you get an acceptance to a school, and in the package they send you freshman housing choices etc, and you fill in the papers etc., send in with your enrollment and housing deposit, then…you find out that contrary to their mailing, they are not taking student choices, but assigning housing based on your major, because they decided to do that this year…and they did not let anyone know…</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be surprised. In my experience, it’s unusual for students to get their first or second choice of housing anyway.
I actually think that assigning housing based on major may make it easier for students to make friends.</p>
<p>I agree that in many ways housing by major helps you make friends faster, and I can see how would also help with h.w. assignments etc. But in some ways would it not be more restrictive, as you don’t have the opportunity to interact as much with students from other majors, and find out more about thosew majors.</p>
<p>As a humanities major who in a house with a lot of musicians (I’m not one) and who regularly dated scientists ended up marrying one, I think housing by majors is a horrible idea. I really enjoyed socializing with people who weren’t just like me.</p>
<p>How do freshman even know their major?</p>
<p>I find this somewhat amusing. I wonder what the “undecided” dorm would look like.</p>
<p>I think housing by majors is a stupid idea, but the school can do it if it wants to.</p>
<p>I guess it’s sort of like Stanford’s “theme” dorms.</p>
<p>The main problem I see is that it further compartmentalizes the school and reinforces the students’ natural tendency to self-segregate into The Jock Dorm, The Nerd Dorm, The Party Dorm, The Angst-Ridden Poets Dorm, etc.</p>
<p>Housing by major should be an option–that is, an enrolling student can choose it if so desired. To be forced into it is a terrible idea. How many schools do this?</p>
<p>I’m picturing interesting landscaping outside the Party dorm (trees are all tee-pee’d, broken down couch on the front porch), and lots of dead trees and an overall gloomy atmosphere for the Angst-Ridden Poets dorm. …</p>
<p>just wondering how you know that their housing assignments have changed if it was not reflected in the package you received? Large universities just do not change something like that overnight–there are far too many factors to be considered. Have you looked at the school’s housing web page for more info? </p>
<p>[bottom line, do not believe everything you hear on CC!]</p>
<p>This is the first year that they are doing housing like this (by major).
The school’s webpage does mention that housing is by academic interest.
I called them today, and they confirmed that it is by major.</p>
<p>So I assume the students have to declare a major when they enroll? How can that be? </p>
<p>So much for exploration as a freshman. I think this would make kids feel a bit stuck. This might have been a deal breaker for at least one of my kids.</p>
<p>I would be much more concerned about freshman-only housing (which I think is a terrible practice) than housing by major (but I wouldn’t prefer either).</p>
<p>mmm- both of my kids had/have freshmen dorms and they worked out very well.
They form bonds with kids from all over the country, with diverse majors and interests. The students they make friends with as a first year will be at the school all four years. This has certainly been great for my daughter who has made lifelong friends from her dorm. Classes have students from frosh to seniors, as do the many activities that they are involved in, so it’s not like they’re stuck with their own class.
And after freshman year, kids can mix it up all the want.</p>
<p>If you are with kids in your major both in classes and and at “home” too, that could get dull. And all 4 years! No way.</p>
<p>So kids would have to switch dorms if they changed majors?
I wonder how much this might influence what major a kid picks.</p>
<p>I’m not saying they “couldn’t do well”. I am saying they would miss out on informal advising and coaching, day-to-day informal interaction with students with various career and educational plans, mentoring, and living examples of where they are headed, or hope to be. In a mixed sistuation, they would still have plenty of first years to mix with, diverse interests and majors. (Mixed class housing also seems to cut down somewhat on alcohol consumption.)</p>
<p>But what’s bothersome and annoying about the whole thing is that they sent housing info and a questionnaire with the acceptance package, the OP’s child completed it in good faith, and THEN they changed the way they assign housing. THAT’s disturbing.</p>
<p>mini-You said it was “terrible.” 
so yeah, that implies kids don’t do well.</p>
<p>I do understand your point. I guess I feel that it has been invaluable for my kids to really get to know their class that first year. In my daughter’s case, all the years are mixed together in their respective houses for years 2, 3, and 4, where they have the advantages of some more experienced students. My son is in a freshman dorm now, but next year will be in a mixed grade dorm. There’s still time for him to rub shoulders on a daily basis with the wiser “elders.” But the kids from his class with whom he has shared so much this year will be with him four years from now (one hopes) getting their diplomas.</p>
<p>**You’re probably right about the alcohol issue.</p>
<p>I agree, VeryHappy. It’s too late now to figure this into the equation. It also doesn’t say much for their organization if the school has just now made this decision. (I’m assuming that the decision was a recent one- not one made and purposefully not disclosed.)</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of housing by major. I can see that it would be helpful to an underclassman - there would always be an upperclassman around to help with academic questions and problems!</p>
<p>It does seem like they should have figured this out before sending the survey, though. Whatever, does anyone ever get their first choice housing?</p>