The most important aspect of housing, personally, is how close I will be to my classes. Incoming freshmen do not get to choose where they will be living, so during my freshman year, I was lucky to have gotten into Alumni; I initially wanted to live in the Business Connections Learning Community so I would feel more comfortable around people with similar majors (not caring or knowing where the location actually was), and fortunately, the BCLC just so happened to be a part of Alumni, which was near most of the buildings that I had classes in. Alumni is also close to South, which is one of the better dining halls on campus.
For my sophomore year, I had more options. I was able to live elsewhere, but I decided to stay in the BCLC because I liked the people, the location, and the bathrooms so much. That may sound strange, but you should take into consideration all aspects of housing when you are deciding on where you want to live. You should consider the location (near/far from classes, friends, or dining halls), the lifestyle, the size of the rooms, the size of the bathrooms, the atmosphere (loud/quiet), etc. You should look at the UConn Residential Life page before anything else. Also, as a side note, as a sophomore, you should not expect to get into the housing you want, so have 2nd, 3rd and 4th choices ready; this is because juniors and seniors have more credits, and therefore, places fill up quickly. If you really want to get into the housing you want, I suggest you ask a junior or senior to pull you in since they get to choose first. ~ Vincci Ho
Housing Selection
How do you prepare for Housing Selection?
Housing selection can be a stressful time in the Spring semester, as it usually falls around the same time as midterms, but if you sort out your housing plan for the following year in advance then the process can be a great experience! To be eligible to apply for next year’s housing, I would have already filled out the housing application sometime last semester that is due at the beginning of Spring semester. Also, I would check emails and the Residential Life website for updates on when housing selection will occur and when my pick date/time has been assigned.
In preparation for the pick time, I would have already talked with the people I planned on living with for next year to organize who has the earliest time, in which case that person would pull in the other roommates. In terms of picking where to live, residence halls, suites, apartments, etc. a good place to start is looking at the number of credits one has and how early the pick time is. You can have a few options in mind of where to live based on your year standing and how early your pick time is, as certain areas will fill up more quickly than others. For any questions that come up during the housing selection process, you can always talk to your Resident Assistant or email a ResLife staff member. Good luck!
~ Dean Mazzola
How do you prepare for Housing Selection?
I prepare for housing selection by first going online to reslife.uconn.edu/myhousing. On this website, I can view my housing selection time and make sure I have it written down and am ready with my decision on that specific time and day. I may also utilize my time to decide whether or not I want to live with someone I already know or if I am going to choose a random roommate. I also find it important to have more than one option of where I would like to live incase my first choice gets taken before my pick time. In order to decide which buildings are suitable for me I might consider the location of my classes, whether or not I want to live in a learning community, or simply personal preference. This year, housing floor plans were made available to all students so that the exact appearance of each room can be considered. In the past I have also talked to fellow students who live in the building I may potentially pick and find out their opinion or possibly drop by for a visit! ~ Sarah Ollayos