Hi Everyone,
In anticipation of the questions that we will get now that assignment letters went out today….
Why didn’t I get my preferred roommate?
The most common reasons for student not being placed with a preferred roommate are:
- The roommate request was not mutual
- Your preferred roommate is in an LLC
- Your preferred roommate is not guaranteed housing and did not receive an assignment
Why didn’t I get my preferred room type?
Each year, the demand for the different room types varies. It generally is not possible for every student to get their most desired room type. Our staff puts a lot of effort into placing students within their preferences, but there are times when this isn’t possible. While we understand you may be disappointed, each room type has its pro’s and con’s – you may be surprised at how well things will turn out for you!
What if I want to change rooms?
Freshmen who have significant concerns about their assignment may submit room change requests during the first week of July. Space is very limited, and we cannot guarantee that all requests will be met. We encourage you to try out your space before assuming it isn’t going to work for you.
Can I cancel my assignment?
Yes – the deadline to cancel your housing assignment is July 6, 2012. You may cancel by emailing your Full name and G# to housing@gmu.edu and indicating you wish to cancel. Please note that you will not be credited the $300 housing deposit.
Why didn’t I get an assignment?
Demand for housing has been increasing each year. One of the things we have learned is that there will be a number of students whose plans change and who need to cancel their housing. This opens up space that improves our ability to assign the students with later application dates to a space within their preferences. We understand it can be frustrating to wait, but we truly believe that students who wait a bit longer will have a better assignment outcome.
We will post more FAQ responses in the coming weeks. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook at MasonOHRL to be informed when updates are posted.
Posted in Class of 2016 ,OHRL information June 20, 2012
Hi Everyone,
Selection for groups of 6, 3, and 2 is next week! In preparation for this round of selection, here are a few things you should know:
- All groups of 6, 3, and 2 were assigned a selection time. No groups were bumped to individual selection. (See below for details.)
- Groups of 2 have selection times on Tuesday, March 20.
- Groups of 3 and 6 have selection times on Wednesday, March 21.
- Selection for groups of 6, 3, and 2 will close at 10am on Thursday, March 22.
- We will begin accepting credit card deposits for members of groups of 6, 3, and 2 who select at 12pm on Thursday, March 22. Students wishing to pay by check can request instructions for how to do so.
- All deposits must be paid by 12pm (Noon!) on Monday, March 26. Assignments for students who do not pay on time will be cancelled. If you have concerns about paying your deposit, contact your Housing Services Coordinator or housing@gmu.edu immediately!
How is it that all groups of 6, 3, and 2 can select? In addition to the suites that only have space for 6, 3, or 2 students, there were empty suites for 4 people left after groups of 4 selection. A handful of these suites are available during groups of 3 and groups of 2 selection – the “extra” beds are temporarily on hold for this round of selection, and will be released to be selected during individual selection.
For example, when you are looking at rooms in the room locator, you may see a bedspace in a double room that is available, but not see the other space. That second space is what is set aside to be assigned later. Some of those spaces are held for special populations who are assigned over the summer (such as exchange students), others will be available during individual selection and will be picked at the beginning of April.
If you are in a group of 6, 3, or 2, be sure to review the email we sent you on March 15, and get together with your group before selection to discuss your preferences. Groups who agree on what they want to select ahead of time will be in better shape entering selection than those who wait until their selection time to see what is available.
Good luck – please contact us if you have any questions!
Posted in Housing Selection 2012-2013 ,OHRL information March 15, 2012
Hi Everyone,
After a week of data-checking, today we sent out emails to everyone with information about which selection process you will participate in. Here’s a brief overview of how many applications we received and some information about group selection.
Groups of Two
There are approximately 180 groups of two. It is likely that there are more groups of two than there will be suites available for two people. Groups of two with the highest average seniority will be directed straight to individual selection. We anticipate that there will be empty suites for four and six at the start of individual selection, so these groups may still be able to select together. More information will be available in mid-March. Members of groups of two will receive selection times on March 16.
Groups of Three
There are approximately 85 groups of three. It is likely that there are more groups of three than there will be suites available for three people. Groups of three with the highest average seniority will be directed straight to individual selection. We anticipate that there will be empty suites for four and six at the start of individual selection, so these groups may still be able to select together. More information will be available in mid-March. Members of groups of three will receive selection times on March 16.
Groups of Four
There are 585 groups of four. Members of groups of four received selection instructions today. All groups of four who are not on the Guaranteed Waitlist will be able to select a suite for four people. If you are in a group of four, check your email for instructions, and use the Room Locator to plan where you will select! Review the Selection Schedule to see where you fall in the process.
Groups of Six
There are approximately 45 groups of six. We anticipate that all groups of six will be able to select a suite for six people. Members of groups of six will receive selection times on March 16.
Individuals
There are currently over 400 individuals eligible to select. Individual selection will occur April 3-5. Selection times for individual selection will be emailed on March 29. Keep in mind that members of groups who don’t select will be able to participate in individual selection, so the number of students participating will likely rise. All students participating in individual selection will be able to select a space. As always, there is no guarantee that your desired room type or location will be available.
Guaranteed Waitlist
166 students were informed that they are going straight to the Guaranteed Waitlist. These students are individuals and groups with the highest average seniority in the application pool. These students will receive an assignment over the summer.
Overall
Overall, we received 4000 applications. This is the same as last year.
Posted in Housing Selection 2012-2013 ,OHRL information February 27, 2012
Hi Everyone,
A bit of information about group priority: A variety of surveys, conversations with students, and other assessments show that a student’s true satisfaction with their living arrangement has far more to do with their roommates and suitemates than it does with which building they are in. Basically, “who” you live with has a greater impact on your living experience than “where” you live. (We aren’t saying the “where” isn’t important for many students, just that the “who” ultimately impacts the experience more.) Group priority in selection will dramatically increase a student’s chances of selecting a suite with suitemates they want to live with.
We have been getting a lot of questions that basically all come down to “How do I increase my chances of selecting what I want?” Our best advice, and what we have been sharing at information sessions, is to form a group with people whom you really want to live with.
- Who you apply with is very likely who you are going to be living with, so don’t put people in your group just to alter your group’s average seniority. Sure, a bunch of seniors could put a sophomore in their group to lower their average seniority in an attempt to not be on the Guaranteed Waitlist. But most groups who apply for housing together are going to end up selecting together, so, do those seniors really want to live with that sophomore? In most cases, the answer will be no. We can’t tell you how many people will be on the waitlist until all of the applications are received in mid-February, so there really isn’t much point in trying to game the system to avoid the waitlist. With Rogers and Whitetop opening, we anticipate having the smallest waitlist in recent years. Read more about seniority in our last blog entry.
- Form a group of four to have the widest variety of options. Over 70% of the spaces available during housing selection are in suites for 4 people. These represent all configurations of bedrooms (4 singles; 2 singles and a double; 2 doubles) and all buildings. All rates/price ranges are covered. Since most students will end up living in suites for 4 people, it makes sense to form a group of 4 and intentionally select together, rather than being 4 random people in a suite.
- If you are a group of two, try to become a group of four. We are pretty confident that too many groups of 2 will form, since it is easy to find one person to live with, but harder to find two more. Given the relatively small number of suites available for 2 people, and the relatively large number of suites for 4 people, excess groups of 2 are probably going to be living in 4-person suites. It is worth doing the extra work now to find another pair and intentionally select together in a 4-person suite, rather than having random suitemates.
- If you are a group of three, be prepared to have a fourth suitemate. Almost all of the 3-person options are actually 4-person suites where one bed is already assigned to the RA or an incoming exchange student. You’ll find out who the fourth person is over the summer.
Having trouble forming your group? Check out our tips on what to talk to potential roommates and suitemates about, join our Roommate/Suitemate Finder Facebook group, and attend a Roommate/Suitemate Finder event. The remaining events are February 6 at 730pm in the Ridge (former Corner Pocket) anf Feb 15 at 730pm in Ike’s.
Posted in Housing Selection 2012-2013 ,OHRL information February 6, 2012
Hi Everyone,
The next few blog posts will address the changes that are being made in this year’s Housing Selection. As noted in our emails to residents, the housing options at Mason have been expanding over the past few years, with no corresponding update to Housing Selection. This fall a group of staff and students convened to review the process and determine how to best create communities that foster student success. They developed a list of outcomes that would better serve residents, including:
- Improving the ability for friends to live together
- Increasing the variety of rooms available during selection
- Ensuring that students earlier in their academic career are not on a housing waiting list
This year, after all Housing Selection applications are submitted (Feb 13-17), if there are more applications than there are spaces currently available, the applicants with the greatest seniority will be placed directly on the Guaranteed Waitlist.
- For example, if there are 3900 applications but only 3800 spaces available, 100 students, most likely rising seniors, will go directly to the Guaranteed Waitlist. They will still be guaranteed a housing assignment, but they will not participate in selection. The remaining 3800 students will proceed through selection and be assured that a space will be available for them to select.
The average seniority of groups will be used to determine the selection order for these remaining (3800, in this example) students, with groups with higher average seniority selecting earlier. It is possible that there will be more groups of students seeking a given suite size than there are suites available. In this scenario, the groups with the highest average seniority will wait for a later selection round. Those groups who are selecting will select in order of highest average seniority to lowest, so groups with more seniors will still be selecting before groups with more sophomores.
- For example, if 100 groups of six apply, but there are only 80 six-person suites available, the 20 groups with the highest average seniority will not participate in groups-of-six selection. Members of these 20 extra groups will be able to select during individual selection.
- In this example, the 80 groups who are selecting will still select in order of highest average seniority to least.
- During individual selection, students with the highest seniority will select first.
In short, while students with the most seniority may go directly to the Guaranteed Waitlist, for the majority of students, seniority will still benefit them in this process. To be clear, groups of seniors will still select before groups of juniors, who will select before groups of sophomores.
Please feel free to contact us, attend an info session, or visit us during office hours if you have further questions.
Posted in Housing Selection 2012-2013 ,OHRL information February 1, 2012
Hi Everyone,
A few things you should know about move-in….
- Move-in times are staggered to allow the greatest access to volunteers and bins. Arrive during your assigned window to take advantage of these resources! Don’t arrive earlier – we won’t be able to check you in.
- Enter campus at your assigned entrance. We know you may have a preferred route to your building, but traffic on move-in day is high. The assigned routes were chosen to keep traffic from each move-in location from impacting each other. Entering at the wrong end of campus will delay your move-in, and may result in you being routed into the wrong move-in traffic.
- Elevators will be limited use on move-in day. If you live on a lower floor, please use the stairs. Elevators will be going to the floors who are assigned to be moving in at that time, so if you are on the 4th floor but it’s now the 3rd floors move-in time, you won’t be able to access the elevators.
- We know many families may want to bring pets along for the day, but we ask that you do not bring them to campus. Move-in is very hectic, and pets are not allowed in the halls at any time. Move-in day tends to be hot, so the car is not an appropriate alternative, either. We love your pets and want them to stay healthy!
- Parking restrictions will be in place during move-in. Please pay attention to signage that directs you to appropriate parking locations. Several of our smaller lots that are close to buildings will be reserved for handicapped parking only. Unloading areas will be clearly marked.
- Bottled water will be available, but we ask you to help us in our efforts to be sustainable. If you take a bottle, please refill it at a water fountain or fill station, rather than taking an additional bottle. Last year we went through 12,000 bottles of water during move-in – we don’t like the impact that has on the environment and we hope to reduce our consumption by 1/3 to 1/2 this year. When you’re done with your bottle, please recycle it!
- Our student volunteers are performing a service to the University. We know you appreciate their help, but please do not offer them tips. If you want to recognize a volunteer or a staff member, there will be recognition stations where you can write a thank you or a kudos.
Thank you for your attention to our move-in plan! Moving nearly 5400 students in over two days requires a lot of coordination and cooperation. Be on the lookout for other move-in tips as we approach the big day!
Posted in Uncategorized August 2, 2011
Hi Everyone,
Now that assignments have been out a few weeks, we’ve been getting some different questions…
I did not receive an assignment yet – do I need to sign the agreement, yet?
No. You will be sent instructions for signing your agreement when you receive your assignment. Thanks for your patience!
If I submitted a room change request, should I still sign my agreement?
Yes, if you have already been sent an assignment and you intend to live on-campus this year, you should sign your agreement by the July 15 deadline. Your agreement is independent of your assignment.
What are the chances my room change request will be granted?
We can’t predict the chances of a request being met, because it is all dependent upon what you requested and whether another student requested to move out of or cancel out of that type of space. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict what everyone will ask for! We do our best to meet as many requests as possible, pending space availability.
Where can I change my meal plan preference?
Meal plan preferences should be changed with the meal plan office.
My roommate told me they are trying to move or cancel their housing. Does this impact me?
Your assignment is independent of your roommate’s. If s/he decides to cancel or move, you will not be reassigned as a result. In some circumstances, we may move a student from their original assignment if we can improve their assignment outcome or better pair them with another student. Usually you will just receive a new roommate.
How do I activate my Mason email?
Go to mail.gmu.edu and follow the link to activate your account. You will receive information about setting up your email as part of Orientation. Questions about email should be directed to ITU.
Posted in Class of 2015 July 8, 2011
Hi Everyone,
In anticipation of the questions that we will get now that assignment letters went out today….
Why didn’t I get my preferred roommate?
The most common reasons for student not being placed with a preferred roommate are:
- The roommate request was not mutual
- Your preferred roommate is in an LLC
- Your preferred roommate is not guaranteed housing and did not receive an assignment
Why didn’t I get my preferred room type?
Each year, the demand for the different room types varies. It generally is not possible for every student to get their most desired room type. Our staff puts a lot of effort into placing students within their preferences, but there are times when this isn’t possible. While we understand you may be disappointed, each room type has its pro’s and con’s – you may be surprised at how well things will turn out for you!
What if I want to change rooms?
Freshmen who have significant concerns about their assignment may submit room change requests during the month of July. Space is very limited, and we cannot guarantee that all requests will be met. We encourage you to try out your space before assuming it isn’t going to work for you.
Can I cancel my assignment?
Yes – the deadline to cancel your housing assignment is July 15, 2011. You may cancel by emailing your Full name and G# to housing@gmu.edu and indicating you wish to cancel. Please note that you will not be credited the $300 housing deposit.
Why didn’t I get an assignment?
Demand for housing has been increasing each year. One of the things we have learned is that there will be a number of students whose plans change and who need to cancel their housing. This opens up space that improves our ability to assign the students with later application dates to a space within their preferences. We understand it can be frustrating to wait, but we truly believe that students who wait a bit longer will have a better assignment outcome.
I was assigned to The Commons, and I am concerned about moving mid-year. When will I know more information?
More details about the move from The Commons to Rogers and Whitetop will be available in September. Our staff are currently working on plans for how students will be assigned to space in the new buildings, how belongings will be packaged and moved, and how staff will be aligned to transition the community smoothly. We appreciate your patience as we finalize these plans!
We will post more FAQ responses in the coming weeks. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook at MasonOHRL to be informed when updates are posted.
Posted in Class of 2015 ,OHRL information June 24, 2011
Hi Everyone!
So, you sent in your housing application, and now you’re waiting for an assignment. What can you do in the meantime?
Facebook
Your Facebook profile is going to be the first impression many of your fellow classmates (and their parents) have of you. When was the last time you took a good look at how you’re portraying yourself? Are you putting your best foot (er…picture…) forward? Take a few minutes to clean up your profile so it represents who you want to be at Mason.
Move-In Travel Arrangements
Freshman move-in is scheduled for Thursday, August 25, 2011. All students will be assigned a move-in time based on your building/floor. These times are designed to keep traffic to a minimum and stagger move-in so everyone can get help from our volunteers. Be sure to plan accordingly. Campus comes to life that day, so you don’t want to miss it! More details will be available on our website in late July.
Check your email and US Mail
Be sure to check your email regularly for information from our office. We are contacting students to confirm their housing guarantee via the email you provided on your application and with a postcard to your home address. Additionally, mid-summer, we will begin sending notifications to your Mason email address. Most students set this up during Orientation. You are responsible for all mail sent to this address, so be sure to check it!
Posted in Class of 2015 ,OHRL information May 26, 2011
Welcome to the class of 2015! We will be posting regularly to this blog with updates about freshman housing and move-in. You can expect future blogs to contain information about:
- The housing assignment process
- Roommates Tips and Rights
- Move-in Information and Packing List
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/MasonOHRL) and Twitter (MasonOHRL)!
Posted in Class of 2015 ,OHRL information May 16, 2011
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