The Housing Games

Every time February rolls around, Boston University students panic over where they are going to live during the upcoming school year. A decision that seems so far off in the distance is suddenly a pressing issue with a deadline. Getting first choice housing can seem challenging to students, especially those who prefer to live on one side of campus over another. For some students, the benefits of off-campus housing outweigh the appeal of living on campus.

WHEN EAST DOESN’T MEET WEST

With about 18,000 undergrads to accommodate, BU provides 15 different dormitories for students to live. While some students struggle to decide between a suite and an apartment style room, for many the debate is where to live on campus.

College of Arts and Sciences Sophomore Edmo Gamelin has lived on east campus for both his freshman and sophomore years. Through experience living in both the Danielsen Hall and Myles Standish Hall dormitories, he said East campus has both advantages and disadvantages.

“Living on East campus is nice because it’s closer to classes and [my fraternity’s] chapter meetings,” he said. “But I’m not a fan of having to travel over a mile to reach the best dining hall, the gym and my extracurricular activities that take place in west and off campus in Allston.”

Besides Danielsen and Myles, East campus offers the Shelton Hall and HoJo dormitories, as well as brownstones on Bay State Rd. With the new student center located at 100 Bay State Rd. to be completed in Fall 2012, East campus will now offer some of the amenities Gamelin said he missed by not living on West campus.

CAS Sophomore Megan Duffy blames the housing process, and her East campus placement, for the “terrible” time she had during her freshman year at BU.

“My experience with housing was awful. I was put in Danielsen freshman year which is extremely far from campus and any other freshman and students in general,” she said.  “I think living there negatively affected my time freshman year.”

Duffy also said the housing process is unfair because freshmen students should be put in an environment where they can meet new people.

“When entering college, freshmen shouldn’t be put in an environment where they feel alienated. I also think that if freshmen are put into such a situation, they should have a little more priority when choosing housing for sophomore year,” she said.

BU’s West campus seems to be popular among students who desire a more ‘campus feel’ area to live. West campus housing options include 1019 Commonwealth Ave., and Rich, Sleeper and Claflin Halls. Director of Housing Nishmin Kashyap said via email that the most sought after dorms for students are StuVi I and StuVi II, which are both located on West campus as well.

College of General Studies Sophomore Kara Korab lived on West campus during her freshmen year and currently lives there as a sophomore. In her opinion, the pros of living on West campus outweigh the cons.

“There are so many benefits [of West campus],” she said. “It has a more campus and personal feel. FitRec and Nickerson field are close, and the dining hall is great. It’s kind of ideal.”

However, similarly to other West residents, Korab said that the far distance to class and being away from the George Sherman Union and central campus, “where everything goes on” is a drawback of the area.

LUCK OF THE DRAW

According to BU Housing’s website, room selection appointment notification cards will be mailed out to students in “late march.” For students who have not already selected their housing for next year, a lottery system is used to assign individual housing. A computer system generates a “random” lottery number for each student. Students with higher class standing receive lower lottery numbers. Subsequently, seniors and juniors oftentimes get their preferred housing over sophomores.

Kashyap said that because every student situation is different, there are no tricks that a student can pull to guarantee to get the housing he or she wants.

Duffy agrees that there are no “tips” students can use to get their preferred housing. The only suggestion she said is to “summer swap” with another student because ultimately “it’s the only option you’re given.”

Many students try to get “pulled in” to a room by a student who already lives in that desired room, or students sometimes choose to stay in their current room for the upcoming year as well. In some cases, students can summer swap with another student if both students agree that they would rather live in the others’ assigned room.

SEEKING REAL INDEPENDENCE

In an effort to avoid the hassle of selecting an on-campus room, some students opt to move off campus in the neighboring Brookline and Allston areas.

Corban Roache has been a leasing agent for Capital Reality Associates in Brookline since June 2011, and his work mainly involves rentals for BU students. Roache said that cheaper cost of living off campus and the independence from security guards and RAs appeals to some students.

“I have found that in almost all cases, living off campus is significantly less expensive than living in BU housing. Most off-campus residents find themselves saving at least about $100 a month after making the transition,” he said.

Students like Gamelin, who did not get the housing that he wanted the past two years, are opting to move off campus for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year.

“I’m living off campus next year because the on-campus housing that I find acceptable is limited and too expensive,” Gamelin said. “I’m also not willing to risk getting stuck in East campus again due to a poor lottery number.”

Roache said that the Brookline area, around St. Paul St. and Pleasant St., are in the “highest demand” among students. He suggests that if students plan to move off campus, they should have a plan set before they go looking for apartments.

“If you plan on living off campus, my best advice is for you to come up with a concrete plan over winter break, and contact an agent as soon as you get back to school in January,” he said. “This way, you don’t miss out on all of the nicer places.”

However, Roache said that the most difficult part of working with students seeking off-campus housing is not actually the students themselves. The students’ parents cause the most problems for leasing agents.

“Parents are often hesitant to let their children move into an apartment of their own. But when kids get to college, they try to make decisions without their parents’ consent, and agents end up tangled in personal matters that make the job harder than it should be,” Roache said.

Roache, who is a CAS Junior, lived in Warren Towers his freshmen year and Rich Hall his sophomore year. He decided to move off campus for his junior year, and he plans on living off campus during his senior year as well.

“I’d recommend living off campus to anyone after freshmen year,” he said. “It’s a valuable learning experience and a lot of fun.”