Could you not get into Odell’s? Did Emerson let you down? Don’t want to live far away from your friends? Never fear, there is a solution: “Plus One” Housing. It’s a program that not too many people on this campus know about; in fact, I didn’t know it existed until spring semester of my first year.
The story:
Last year, my friends and I had a dilemma. There were six of us, but only one had a decent housing selection number. We tried for Emerson with no luck and our choices were dwindling. We wanted to stay close together but it was looking like that couldn’t happen. So we made an appointment with ResEd to talk about where we could together live on campus.
The info:
We learned through ResEd about a program called “Plus One” Housing, in which one, two, or three students could add an extra person into their room (to make a forced double, triple, or quad). Because this is convenient for the school (and not the students) the students are paid $250 each per semester (in Bookstore credit, NOT a check) and can pick living arrangements before anyone else in their class. We also learned which rooms were available to be included in “Plus One” Housing.
The form/information sheet: http://housing.hws.edu/webstudent/images/PlusOne.pdf
(After talking to ResEd, you must fill out this form)
Facts:
1. “Plus One” Housing allows you to pick rooms before other students in your class (but only for that semester).
2. IF you and your roommates stay together for ONE semester, you EACH receive $250 in Bookstore credit (NOT A CHECK, no matter what some ResEd student employee says on the phone).
3. The same payment will be given after the second semester (if everyone remains in the room).
4. You CAN use the Bookstore credit for textbooks and HWS merchandise!
The solution:
My friends and I were able to get rooms 102 and 103 in Blackwell. Though these rooms are technically supposed to be doubles, there is more than enough space for a third person. The ceilings are high which is great for a bunk bed, but figuring out how best to orient the furniture was a long process. The point is, “Plus One” Housing was a huge help to us. If you have a lot of close friends, some crappy numbers, and a willingness to communicate with ResEd, “Plus One” Housing may be for you!
The advice:
If you can, figure all this out as quickly as possible. ResEd can take a few days to reply to emails and to set up appointments, let alone multiple appointments. I would also recommend going to ResEd as early as you can on the day you’re allowed to pick rooms, which I believe was the day before our whole first year class was allowed to pick in the general housing selection. There were more students at ResEd than I thought, and if we hadn’t gotten there early (I’m talking, like, 8:15 AM), the rooms we planned on getting could’ve been taken.
In addition, please make sure that all your friends are on the same page. My friends and I never had issues with this, but “Plus One” Housing is a confusing process, and you wouldn’t want one of your friends to back out at the last minute because they just found out what it entails. This should be obvious, but do make sure that the friends you want to room with now will be the friends you want to room with later. If there is any strife now, even some small arguments, it could turn into some major problems down the road. And if someone ends up leaving the room before a semester’s end, no one gets $250 in Bookstore credit.
This was a great option for my friends and me, so if you’re stuck like we were, consider “Plus One” Housing!