Living off campus is something that most students at St. Bonaventure look forward to in their senior year, but it certainly has its pros and cons. One con is just how hard it is to find a place to live in the first place.
My roommates and I started looking September 1st of last year, and we found a few nice places. Ultimately, however, we decided to go with a Bona Student Property Management (BSPM), or Bonagany, house, which didn’t come without the cannon event that is its Open House Day.
In my experience, Open House Day is akin to The Hunger Games. People are fighting, shoving, crying and genuinely moved by the victory of securing a house. We were naïve going in and had no clue just how competitive it would be, so here are some tips and things to know to help you prepare for Open House Day.
When is Open House Day?
Open House Day is an annual event hosted by BSPM during family weekend. This year, it falls on September 25th. The times and location have not been posted on BSPM’s website, but traditionally, it starts at 3:30 or 4, and groups meet at the Bonagany storefront, according to last year’s flyer.
What to expect
As I said, Open House Day is chaotic. Prepare yourself for a very stressful hour. The storefront will be very cramped as you try to literally fight your way into a house. Last year, we waited about 15 minutes before touring houses that fit the number of people in our group.
After touring, you let the intern in charge of the house know that you are interested. The odds are that at least one other group will want the house, and you will be quite literally pitted against each other. In this case, it eventually goes down to a coin toss, and then it’s just up to luck.
Things to know before you go
Send in your resume ASAP
You will be asked to apply to an internship while looking for houses, especially if it comes down to multiple groups. So, get ahead of it and have your group send in their resumes beforehand to stand out.
You get a lot of bonus points in the housing process, but I have also seen people who intended to intern lose the house in a coin flip. Regardless, if you need an internship and some extra money, it’s a good idea to send in your resume before Open House Day and mention that you will be looking at houses.
Get there early
They don’t wait until the open house is over to send out leases. So, get there early and have a game plan because you will have to make a very quick decision.
I’m pretty sure we got our lease that night, but we had claimed the house by 4:30, and we were one of the last groups to secure a house.
the house you want may already be claimed
As soon as we walked into the storefront, multiple houses were off of the table. Some houses are considered “legacy houses” and are therefore reserved for certain sports teams.
Be flexible
I went in with a group of five but ended up living with a group of nine. Honestly, if we didn’t merge groups with a legacy house, we would not have lived in a Bonagany house. So, odds are that you may have to shift your plan after Open House Day, but that’s not a bad thing!
There are some really random houses that no one would ever guess are student housing. They may be a little off the beaten path, but that means that they might just be available. If you don’t get into a Bonagany house or if you want to pass up the ordeal altogether, ask upperclassmen about other houses, look at apartments, and keep an eye out for flyers on campus advertising open leases.
May the odds ever be in your favor.