Office of Housing and Residence Life @ Mason

What Makes Doubles So Special?

February 9, 2011

In an effort to respond to student feedback about the former Housing Selection process (aka RAP), we updated the selection order for the 2011-2012 process.  Students who request to live with each other on their housing applications will be able to select a double room earlier in the selection process.

In previous years, students earlier in the process who were selecting without a roommate scattered themselves in the double rooms.  As a result, roommate pairs later in the process were unable to select a double together, because there were only individual spaces left, not any fully empty doubles.  Imagine you’re getting on a bus that you know will fill up.  As people filter on, everyone sits in an empty row, and then the people who get on the bus later eventually take up the second seat in the row.  The same is true for room selection, only the outcome lasts an academic year, not just a few hours!

We determined that by moving roommate pairs to the front of the selection process, the pairs will have a significantly increased ability to select together.  The credit hours order will be preserved within the doubles process, so seniors seeking doubles will have earlier lottery numbers than sophomores seeking doubles, etc. The doubles selection will have no impact on single rooms, since only double rooms will be available for selection during this part of the process.

We’ve been fielding a variety of questions about this at our info sessions and via email, most of which have to do with suites that are mixed singles and doubles. Examples of the scenarios that have been posed include:

• 3 people hoping to select a suite together as a pair and a single.
• 3 people hoping to select two doubles and leave a space for a random person.
• 4 people hoping to select a suite together as a pair and two singles.
• 5 people hoping to select a 6-person suite.

We considered situations like this when determining what the selection order for 2011-2012 would be.  Ultimately, when weighing the impact of doubles selecting first against scenarios like those above, we determined that the guaranteed positive impact for roommate pairs will be greater than the potential negative impact for students in the above scenarios.  It is important to remember that there was no guarantee in previous years that the students in the above scenarios would be able to select together.  In the 2011-2012 process there is still a significant opportunity for them to select together during general selection.

So, what options exist for students in the above situations?  Well, the easiest solution is to utilize the roommate finding events, Facebook group, and other social networking to find another person and pair up.  If that doesn’t work out, there are two options:

1. The whole group waits until general selection to pick.
2. The pairs select during doubles selection and cross their fingers that the other bedspaces in the suite will remain open long enough during general selection for their remaining suitemates to select them.

If you take the second route, the people in the doubles are stuck where they are, regardless of whether the leftover suitemates can select with them or not.  In #1, everyone gets to make a decision together, look at the remaining rooms, and figure out the best scenario for the whole group.  Maybe a suite that fits you is available, maybe there are two neighboring suites with enough space for you, so you could at least be assured of living on the same floor or in the same building together, etc.  In the end, it’s your choice – we just want you to make an informed decision!

A final thought… Which is more important to your happiness and success in your living situation – the people you live with, or where you live?

Entry Filed under: Housing Selection 2011-2012. Posted in  Housing Selection 2011-2012 .