Selecting housing for the upcoming year is an exciting time for students that may require them to navigate some challenges or pivot along the way. Here, we offer information, context, and tips for conversations with your student.
Housing is Guaranteed
If your student worries they won’t have somewhere to live next year, reassure them that Colgate will work with them to identify a space. Remind them that Colgate guarantees housing for all four years; it’s part of the four-year residency requirement.
Because the types of housing at Colgate are quite varied — traditional halls with singles, doubles, and triples; buildings with suites; townhouses; and apartments — and with all the variants and interests among the more than 2,800 students, housing selection is an extremely complex process.
The process is built for fairness, equity, and transparency by assigning a randomly generated lottery selection time to each student. You may need to remind them of this if they draw a less-than-ideal lottery number.
Encourage them to work together with their planned roommates in consulting with residential life. The staff can share strategies for navigating the lottery process and maximizing their options.
It May Take Some Time
It’s important to know that, for various reasons (such as a missed time slot, confusion with the process, or challenges with potential roommate groupings), some students may not have their selection completed through the lottery. Students who do not choose housing during the selection process should complete the housing waitlist form. The residential life team works with these students to make sure they get a placement.
There will be some spaces immediately available, and additional spaces will become available over the spring and summer as other students solidify their plans for the upcoming academic year (such as changing study abroad plans, or taking an unexpected medical leave).
If your student’s housing selection is not yet set, encourage them to be patient and be flexible about the options that emerge. This is similar to course selection, where changes happen due to shifting circumstances after registration and students then adjust their course schedules through the Drop/Add process.
Be Flexible About Options
Sometimes students need to be imaginative about the available spaces they can choose from. For example, they may find a space in a building that is primarily for theme housing that isn’t necessarily of interest to them. They may choose to participate in the theme at the level they choose — or not at all.
Someone originally looking for a campus apartment with a kitchen may need to select a room that would require a meal plan, or vice versa.
It’s often useful to remind students about valuing people over place by prioritizing a good friend as a roommate over a specific type of housing. Learning to identify priorities and adjust to varying options is good practice for navigating other choices they will make after college.
Share Your Story
Throughout your life, you no doubt have had to work through a variety of situations where you had to pivot from a plan, make compromises, be creative about solutions, and embrace the outcome. Tell your student about a challenging or complex situation and how you approached it. Did you use any special tools or techniques that you found useful? Sharing your own experience can help your student identify the things they can control and focus on.
Tap The Support Systems
Throughout the housing selection process, the residential life staff works as quickly as they can to get students housed and to honor preferences to the extent they can. The team takes great care in working directly with students; they offer in-person and virtual appointments to answer any questions about the selection process or their status.