Hey All, my freshman dd’s dorm roommate isn’t coming back to school spring semester. Anyone have experience with whether the school has students waiting for rooms that they will move in there? DD would prefer to make it a single rather than have a random person put in her room. I believe making it a single is an option for $$. Thanks!
I’d call and find out the options. They could put a kid in the room who was studying abroad in the fall. That means the student wouldn’t be a freshman, but that could be fine. Also, some schools admit kids for the spring semester, so that’s one way to fill the room. If she wants to make it a single, let them know ASAP!
ETA: Ds1 came back from study abroad and moved into a triple. One of the guys was there all year, but ds and another guy moved in when the first guy’s two roommates studied abroad in the spring. In other words, they just switched two spring study abroad kids with two fall one.
Another possibility she might want to investigate is whether someone she knows could room with her next semester. Perhaps she has a friend who isn’t happy living with her current roommate and would like to switch. There might be a fee for the switch, but it would mean that both girls would be living with someone they know rather than a random roommate.
Our D was the random new room mate as a spring transfer student. One of the girls in the quad moved out and D moved in. It was OK because D is pretty easy-going and was happy to be living on campus, but the other 3 were already closer to one another. It worked ok for the term. She lived elsewhere with friends thereafter.
I think it’s pretty common for kids to switch around second semester. I have advised a few kids that were applying to a reach school to consider applying for second semester admission. I think at least two of my three kids had different roommates second semester.
Call ResLife. It really depends on the situation at that school. If there are forced triples, they will likely give students in those rooms the option to de-triple and have someone move out and into the spot in her room. And if a student has requested a roommate change she could get switched into her room as well. Or your D could get luck and have a single next semester. It is pretty much a question of supply and demand at that particular school at that particular time.
That happened to my friend’s daughter several years ago at American. She had a roommate from another country who was studying abroad at American assigned to her room. That worked out fine.
Son’s first freshman year roommate left to do a semester elsewhere and he got a sophomore who spent most of his time at his girlfriend’s apartment. Like having a single at a double’s price.
By now your D will be familiar with the dorm and rest of her school. She just keeps on doing her thing. New roommate will learn how things are done et al.
Edit: My original comment repeated a scenario that has been mentioned.
It will depend on if someone needs a room… back in the 80’s when I went to college I had 2 roommates that didn’t come back (4 person room) and they put 2 new people in with us…
She may have the right to refuse a particular roommate. Find out from Residential Life. I remember that people looking for new spots in empty rooms would meet the existing student living there, and that student could approve or reject the new roommate, with up to 3 rejections allowed. At least that gives her some leeway.
^ That wasn’t the case at my uni. You got who you got and that was it.
You have to contact the specific uni but many (most?) publics especially are overcrowded and need all available space.
Another option is for her to find a new roommate. Maybe someone else is in the same situation. Maybe someone she knows is taking a semester off and her roommate needs a roommate. Contact housing and find out the options. I think it is likely she’ll be assigned a new roommate unless she pays (and is allowed to pay) to make the single a double. If housing is tight, they may not allow it.