Surviving the Housing Lottery: Taking Some of the Risk Out of Your Best Bet

To all the Juniors and Seniors out there who have just received their lottery numbers and are now scrambling to arrange their housing for next year...I know the feeling. As someone who has never, and I mean NEVER gotten a good housing number, I have contemplated buying other people's numbers, sneaking into the Rose Art museum with all my stuff and hoping not to get evicted, even had the occasional daydream of generating my own lottery numbers. Unfortunately, arriving back to reality I have, like every other upperclassman, suffered through the waiting and wondering of room selection. Once the initial shock has worn off and the feeling of desperation has passed relish in some tips I have found helpful in the past.

1) DON'T WASTE TIME: While it may be soothing to call all of your other ill-fated friends with numbers in the 2,000's to complain about your bad fortune, don't waste time in approaching as many of your friends as possible to ask what number they drew and if they have found living partners. Communication is everything! Most living arrangements are made by the end of the first week post-lottery email.

2) Know your odds: The catch-22 of the housing lottery is planning the correct number of people for your dorm. If you know you're number isn't good enough for a Ridgewood (generally a 4-person suite) don't pick only 4 people and get stuck looking for 2 more to fill a Ziv! Research the numbers; which housing requires which amount of room mates, and plan accordingly. If you are on the cusp make sure that the people in your group know the odds and are willing to have a backup plan. If you have a reasonably good number but haven't looked for suite mates, a few suites in Ziv remain open for singles. Above all remember that not all is lost; while it may not be the most ideal campus housing, last year rooms officially ran out at #2,136, (Upperclassmen numbers start at #1,000) all in all not so bad a statistic.

3) Looking Out for Number ___? Whatever your personal number may be, make sure that you plan a safety net for yourself. If you find a group of people to live with, make sure they have everyone's best interest at heart. If you feel as though it may fall through, look for a backup plan; perhaps someone with a slightly less impressive number so that there is some time between their selections to determine your situation.

4) Understand Costs and Benefits: Yes, I like puns. But in actuality it is important to be aware that different housing options have different price tags, up to $2,000 different as a matter of fact! The best housing is one that fits both your needs and limitations, for example a grad or a mod (both at an equal distance from campus) has a kitchen while Ziv suites do not.

5) They're Not Kidding About the Paperwork: Be on top of your paperwork and deadlines: if you chose to withdraw from the lottery, or will be unable to attend your selection (even if it is someone else's number) you MUST fill out a proxy form. Failure to do so will result in your paying even more for our already overpriced housing. In addition, once housing selection is complete you will receive notification about when you can withdraw without a penalty and in what increments you begin to accrue charges as you wait longer to withdraw.

6) The Fine Print: Finally you need to remember a few important factoids: Juniors and Seniors cannot pull in or be pulled in by Sophomores or Freshmen. Study abroad students will participate in a separate housing lottery and cannot pull in students who will not study abroad in the coming year. My joke about buying lottery numbers was JUST A JOKE and can result in serious punishment: please don't do it and say I told you to.

So good luck in your search and here's to another great Brandeis tradition!
HC Brandeis Love,
Abi