<p>So the time to reapply for housing is here and policies seem to be changing again (at least compared to when I came in). For those of you wishing to live in the Quad/Hill, you are not really affected by any of this. However, incoming freshman (not an athlete or in a sorority) wishing to live in the Village might want to read this.</p>
<p>As far as placement into the village, you have probably been told that it is based on the number of beds available and your priority date (based on your application date). Basically, this has not been changed at all. However, I know a lot of people often ask about staying in Village dorms for more than one year (or at least I did). During my tour, I was essentially not given a response: “Policies are looked at every year.”</p>
<p>However, the truth is that living in the Village is a “one and done” deal for almost anyone (except the aforementioned groups, of course). Unfortunately, at the end of your first year, you will most likely be cleared out to make room for incoming freshman. And don’t get me wrong, it makes sense for them in terms of recruiting. What bothers me is that this fact seems to be “hidden” by housing staff as they tour a flock of “innocent” high schoolers through the very nice buildings in the Village.</p>
<p>So what is the point of this extensive rant? To let people know. Personally, I wish I could have been told this by the housing staff as I toured the Village last spring (again, I asked, no reply). Having known this, I would have simply applied to live in the Quad, which is also nice and conveniently located near most classes (for those mornings when the alarm does not go off). To top it all off, people who live in the Quad are given the chance to keep their same room and essentially guarantee a place for next year. Meanwhile, those who are not fortunate enough to return to the Village, have to weigh their chances and hope they can get a room in the Quad/Hill.</p>
<p>Again, sorry for the rant. I just hope that you can make a better informed decision about where to live. I am an out-of-state student, but I love Auburn and can’t wait to spend another few years here (so I am not trolling or anything).</p>
<p>I guess I’ll save my rant against the “required” meal plan for another day. War Eagle$. :)</p>
<p>The Caroline Draughon Village Extension (CDV) that was slated to be destroyed is being rennovated to re-open and last another decade because…</p>
<p>The Hill Dorms & Terrell Dining Hall are about to be renovated… As they close down 2-3 Hill dorms at a time, the residents will move to the CDV, so some that might have wanted to stay in the Hill will be forced out for periods of time.</p>
<p>The Village Housing request for returning residents was due before Jan 31. So the time to get in the lottery for the Village has passed. They don’t broadcast that much either. Renewals for Quad and Hill are Feb 7 - 17. (7 & 8th) for same room, (10 & 11th) for same building, (15-17th) for leftovers.</p>
<p>3 out of 4 of D’s roommates wil be returning to the Village, but one had a later priority date and will probably end up in the quad. If I could give one piece of advice in retrospect, it would be to deposit for housing ASAP! D gets to stay, because we put her deposit in the minute it was possible–mid October. At the time, I had no idea how important this date would become. Now we just have to worry about two more years!</p>
<p>Okay, so if you don’t get in one of the campus residence halls, what will you do? Do you have a particular private, off-campus residence hall selected as a back-up? What about some of the off-campus apartment complexes that are available-- do you have any options/preferences with these? The reason I’m asking is D1 is considering Auburn, and housing after the 1st year is definitely an issue – your feedback as a current student would be greatly appreciated. (If the question of off-campus housing has been addressed on another thread, I apologize for the overlap.)</p>
<p>An excellent question, I’d like to know for backup reasons for subsequent years, if needed… When should one put down a deposit for good apartments in close proximity. Some give refunds if you back-out, some allow subletting. Do people start in February for the next year or do they wait to find out they didn’t get what they wanted on campus and then join a mad rush to find a place off-campus? </p>
<p>My D is guaranteed on-site , but then that doesn’t mean she’ll get what’s she wants/needs. Chances are she may want to move off campus, or because of study abroad or internships, in later years not have many options of getting what she needs on her return. For advanced notice I’ve tried to find out info on Apartments, etc… and will spend time in June at War Eagle Camp to visit and evaluate what is available, not only for now, but for the future. </p>
<p>I’ve heard “Two 21 Armstrong” and “Eagles West” were close and decent. I’ve checked the internet for scores of others. Many seem farther away or long waits for buses and would like my D to be as close a possible to feel like she is part of the University. As Audellmom mentioned, it would be nice to get more input from previous or current Auburn folks. I’m even monitoring the area construction permits to be aware of any future new building, renovations, etc. Any additional info on off-campus housing, dates for which to plan, would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>As far as off campus, I have not really looked at anything. In addition, the Housing Department just sent out an email today saying that “they have discussed the housing matter with the Honors College” and have decided to change the policy yet again.</p>
<p>Now, it seems like people currently in the Honors Village dorm (Aubie) will be allowed to stay. NOTE: It seems. They said more information would be coming. I’m starting to think they are not even sure about what they are doing.</p>
<p>Overall, regardless of what happens now, the message is still the same. The fact that the housing policy for the Village seems to change so often is not a reassuring sign. I would honestly say that anyone expecting to live in the Village should come in with a “backup” housing plan for subsequent years. I guess I’ll post some more when I know what the “policy/placement” changes are.</p>
<p>Don’t mind answering any other questions (if any) about campus by the way.</p>
<p>So what are the chances I can get into Aubie as a freshman next year? I am a Presidential Scholarship recipient and will be in Honors if I attend AU. I submitted my deposit on Dec. 1. Being in the Village is big draw for me at AU.</p>
<p>The housing situation at Auburn can be a little frustrating and confusing. The Village is extremely nice, but it has also created some problems because so many kids want to live there. The policies have also changed from last year. Presidential Scholars used to receive priority for living in Aubie, but that has now changed. They just removed that statement from their website last week. Last year they also said if you requested rommates, the earliest deposit would be the one that ruled, but that has also changed. I can say that the earlier you put down your deposit the better, but wouldn’t want to venture a guess as to a date that would get you in.
My daughter is living in Aubie this year. Three friends and her decided to room together in Aubie again next year. Last week they found out that two of the girls could stay there, but not the other two. The reason given was the date of their initial deposit. My daughter was crushed as she did not want to live off campus and also did not want to be placed in the Quad with someone she didn’t know.
I do know that many parents were upset and they called and e-mailed housing. Housing wasn’t very helpful, but the Honors College was. I’m not sure what happened, but an e-mail was sent out with the policy change and many of the students, including my daughter, were allowed back into Aubie next year.<br>
I’d recommend to get that deposit in as early as possible. I would ask about the chances of returning to the Village as a sophomore, but I’m not sure you will get a straight answer. In January of next year, I would have your son/daughter start looking at off campus housing in order to get some ideas of where to live. They should hear in February sometime if they will be able to return to the Village. If they can’t stay there, then they still should be able to get off campus housing. The other option is to live in the Quad/Hill, but that is like going from the penthouse to the outhouse (just a saying, it’s really not that bad).
We have been very very pleased with everything about Auburn, except for housing. I think since the Village is so new, there still haven’t fully come up with firm decisions about who gets to live there each year. Good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>I would totally agree with that. They priced the Village much higher than the Quad/Hill, but people are still willing to pay the extra $$$ to live there. It might take them awhile to get everything figured out. Auburn also dropped the Presidential Scholarship from full tuition to 2/3 tuition for next year so that will also be a change that will affect next year’s numbers as well.</p>
<p>Just curious, where do the athletes live? Does Auburn have a separate residence complex just for them?
While investigating Auburn off-campus housing, I found this student living “community” – Creekside at Auburn – I couldn’t believe how nice this was, and the fact that it appeared to be geared towards condo sales. Do parents buy these units for their children? Or, do alums buy these and either rent them out to students, or just use them during football season. This community was pretty amazing; it was hard to fathom that the website seemed to be targeting students. Thoughts? From the looks of it, off-campus student housing in Auburn must be quite a lucrative business. It makes me think that there must be pressure on the university NOT to build additional on-campus residence halls.</p>
<p>For those who’ve never heard of this place:
[Creekside</a> of Auburn](<a href=“http://creeksideofauburn.com/]Creekside”>http://creeksideofauburn.com/)
“student living redefined” – you can say that again!
Full disclosure: leasing is available, but if you look at the community map, a solid chunk of the homes are either for sale or are sold.</p>
<p>Somebody asked earlier in the thread, what their chances of getting into the Village were, given their certain deposit date. Personally, I can tell you that I made my deposit “apparently” very late (according to what I have heard from people here), but I still got into Aubie this year. I guess it was because of the priority they gave Presidential/NMF students who were also honors.</p>
<p>However, that “priority” is gone now (I believe). In addition, everyone who is currently in Aubie and reapplied is essentially being allowed to stay. As I have said before, it makes you wonder where they’ll put freshmen who applied for the Village.</p>
<p>I paid very late in February (27? 28?) by the way, but that is very, very late compared to other people (those who knew from the beginning they were coming here).</p>
<p>My son who is enrolling as a freshman in Fall 2011 just signed up for housing. Yes, I know we are late to the game. Like others, he put down Village/Quad/Hill. He doesn’t expect to get into the Village but would be happy with the Quad. After sign-up, it said he has guaranteed on-campus housing. The Housing website now has a banner on the front page that says:</p>
<p>“Housing Waiting List to be Initiated In The Near Future!
Update-February 15, 2011. It is anticipated that a waiting list for men and women will be initiated in the next two to three weeks. Please understand that this time frame is just an estimate as waiting lists could be initiated sooner or later than anticipated. When a waiting list is initiated, that means housing is tentatively full and wait-listed applicants will be offered spaces as they become available.”</p>
<p>Looks like they are about to run out of reserved spaces. It’s too bad that Auburn has this crazy housing system. None of the other schools he has applied to seems to have this problem. Oh well, it’s not the end of the world - just a hassle.</p>