So, housing this year is very different. It may seem very similar to the absolutely wonderful process of scheduling which, as we all know, is way more stressful than it should be. This new housing system is probably making everyone’s head spin around with either it’s new methods or this is the first time you’ve ever had to go through housing ever. This here is to help you not freak out too much, though. The last thing you need is to be so stressed that you can’t handle much of anything anymore.
First things first: find your roommate(s).
Gather your squad together and see what’s what. Don’t have a squad? Or squad already figured it out and you’re the odd man out? Need another person for a quad or a triple? Then go to one of the meet your roommate events on campus, or even try out the discussion board. It’s important to remember that this year you need to know your roommate(s) ahead of time otherwise you won’t be able to get into certain places or even get the room you want. Also, if you keep trying to bring up rooming with friends that you talked to about it last semester but they’re ignoring on the subject altogether, find someone else. Don’t wait until last minute on them. Doing this will ultimately take a load off of your shoulders, maybe not much, but enough.
Make a plan… or five.
It’s good to have a plan when encountering a stressful situation. In this case of housing, it’s good to have plans A-C. Knowing you have a backup is better than getting online then trying to go from there. Just, make sure everyone else you want to room with knows the plans. If you can’t get a triple in Padua, tell the other person before going to a double somewhere else. You know it’s stressful that you have to deal with this, imagine the other person when they find out they have to find someone last minute to room with.
Survey the rooms and buildings beforehand
Don’t try to voyage off into the unknown unless you like surprises. If you’ve been hearing Hennepin flood all the time or that Plassman is the worst, then maybe you should ask around and look yourself. You may find that you prefer that building over the others. Or maybe you see that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be and want to see a different building. Maybe you need to see the size of the room before you haul up everything. No matter what, looking into it will help ease you out of that fear-of-the-unknown phase.
Ask questions!
Not asking questions is a great way to worry about things you don’t know about.Your RA, the housing department, maybe even a friend might be able to answer whatever questions you may have. No question is stupid and you’re probably not bothering anybody, just go and ask. You’ll feel better about it. Trust me.
Finally, just take a deep breath.
Very cliche, yes, but it works. Look, you’ve read over the above steps on how to avoid worrying about housing this year, but even if you do these steps, you still might be panicking. Just slow down, take a step back, and breathe. You’ve made it this far in your college career and this won’t break you. Just remember that everything will work out in it’s own way, even if it’s not exactly what you want, and you’ll get what you need.