We asked Colgate’s residential life professionals to share insight on housing selection and important ways they help students to think about the meaning and purpose behind their living situations.
The housing selection process for returning students organizes students into safe places where they can be successful academically, develop positively as a whole person, and live with people who matter to them.
Because the process is designed to provide options (based on class year) and because the types of housing at Colgate are quite varied, placing more than 2,800 students is extremely complex.
Here, we offer information, context, and conversation tips for you to be aware of as your student navigates housing selection.
Top Tips We Share With Students
Understand the Process and Resources
Each year, the Office of Residential Life team provides helpful information sessions before the process launches, and their website is a great resource. In addition, the staff take great care in working directly with students to answer individual questions or concerns about housing selection at any point in the process.
Through in-person and virtual appointments, they can help students identify options they would be comfortable with, identify potential roommates, or plan a strategy. The more the staff can get to know them and understand their interests and preferences, the better they’ll be able to guide them, so encourage your student to reach out.
The overall housing selection process includes a couple of phases, starting with some specific application-based options, and then a general lottery. The application-based options differ between rising sophomores and rising juniors and seniors and have specific deadlines, so encouraging them to keep an eye on the schedule and ask timely questions is important.
It’s also important for students to understand that once they are accepted through a process, the housing assignment is final.
Develop Goals and a Set of Choices
Having clearly identified goals and interests, in terms of who they want to live with — and getting on the same page with that person or group — and where they would like to live goes a long way toward ensuring a successful process. Employing strategies in preparation will help:
• Read provided materials carefully to be informed about the available options
• Purposefully identify specific goals for their residential experience
• Consider the type of living situation and the corresponding facilities of interest.
• Use the housing portal functions find roommates, search for housing options, and form roommate groups
• Keep a flexible mindset by identifying several choices they would be comfortable with
Managing expectations is important. Given the complexity of placing so many people in a finite set of spaces, it’s impossible for everyone to get their top choice. It’s also important to note that more than two-thirds of Colgate’s housing inventory is multi-occupancy spaces, with doubles being the predominant setup, whether in traditional residence halls, suites, or apartments. Many students in all class years, including seniors, are likely to have at least one roommate.
Value People Over Place
The way students live at Colgate shapes their education and their experiences. Through the strong foundational community built through their Residential Commons membership in the first and second years, as well as classes, activities, sports, and social time, there are ample opportunities to build meaningful relationships.
A student’s choice of whom to live with is often the most important aspect of the residential experience. So, it’s often helpful for students to prioritize choosing the people and/or their program of interest rather than having their heart set on a specific residence hall, facility, or type of room.
It May Take Some Time
It’s important to know that, for various reasons (such as a missed time slot, confusion with the process, or challenges with potential roommate groupings), some students may not have their selection completed through the general lottery. Students who do not choose housing during the initial selection process should complete the housing waitlist form. The residential life team works with these students to make sure they get a placement.
There will be some spaces immediately available, and additional spaces will become available over the spring and summer as other students solidify their plans for the upcoming academic year (such as changing study abroad plans, or taking an unexpected medical leave).
If your student finds themself on the waitlist, encourage them to be patient and flexible about the options that emerge. It is a planned function of the process — similar to course selection, where changes happen due to shifting circumstances after registration, when students then adjust their course schedules through the Drop/Add process.
Remind them that Colgate guarantees housing for all four years of the undergraduate program*; it’s part of the four-year residency requirement, so in the end, all undergraduate students in good standing will receive a room assignment. The team does their best to make as close a match to their preferences as possible.
*For students enrolling beyond the standard eight undergraduate semesters, Colgate is unable to provide housing; that said, it is important to connect with the residential life staff to explore potential housing options.
Other Important Guidance
Accessible Housing
For students with disabilities that impact one’s residential environment, the Office of Student Disability Services (OSDS) works closely with the Office of Residential Life to provide accessible housing. Reasonable and appropriate housing adjustments are determined upon careful review of the student’s disability, the residential environment, and the measures that may be necessary to provide the housing adjustment. Returning students are expected to submit the form by date listed on the application, which typically is near the end of February. Learn more by downloading the OSDS Requesting Accessible Campus Housing Information Guide.
Gender-Inclusive Housing
The Office of Residential Life is committed to providing a living environment that is welcoming to all gender identities. Campus housing options include a variety of gender-inclusive rooms such as suites, apartments, townhouses.
Senior-Year Off-Campus Housing
Colgate requires every student to live in University-owned housing during all four years of their education, with one exception. Historically, Colgate has permitted a limited number of seniors — approximately 30 percent of the class — to live in private off-campus housing. Securing permission to live off campus is not a guarantee for seniors: interested students must apply for approval, and then secure a slot through a lottery, during the fall semester of their junior year.
Applicants must meet conduct expectations that demonstrate a pattern of respectful, healthy community behavior. Those in good standing with their conduct record will receive written notice of eligibility to participate in the off-campus lottery from the Office of Residential Life.
It is important that students not sign a lease with an off-campus landlord before receiving approval from Colgate. Students who sign a lease prior to obtaining a place through the lottery process will be responsible for paying both University housing costs and any financial obligations to the landlord required by the lease.
In other words, signing a lease will not be considered a valid reason for Colgate to release a student from the requirement to live in University-owned housing.
Helping Your Student
There is no denying that the housing selection process can be a stressful time for students; you can help. Throughout your life, you no doubt have had to work through a variety of situations where you had to make a complex decision, pivot from a plan, make compromises, be creative about solutions, and embrace the outcome. Tell your student about a challenging or complex situation and how you approached it. Did you use any special tools or techniques that you found useful? Sharing your own experience can help your student identify the things they can control and focus on.
Conversation Starters
If your student expresses any uncertainty or mentions that they are encountering difficulty with the housing process, ask open-ended questions that help them manage their expectations, plan productively, and problem-solve.
• What are your goals for your housing experience?
• What kind of setting do you think you will function best in and why?
• What resources can you tap?
• Have you attended an information session?
• Have you spoken with a member of the residential life staff?
• What did you/do you plan to discuss with them?
Learning Moments
Everyone hopes to land an early slot in the housing lottery. And yet, the fairness of randomizing the selection order means that while someone gets to go first, someone else has to go last. The lottery process is built for fairness, equity, and transparency by assigning a randomly generated lottery selection time to each student. You may need to remind them of this if they draw a less-than-ideal lottery number.
Encourage your student to work together with their planned roommates in consulting with residential life. The staff can share strategies for navigating the lottery process and maximizing their options.
If your student is upset about where they’ve landed in the housing lottery, lend them an ear and sympathize, but help them develop a healthy perspective: It’s not their fault, and it wasn’t personal; in some cases, our circumstances fall to the luck of the draw. Remind them of a challenge they have previously come through, or share a situation when you had a similar disappointment but overcame it.
And know that the team of residential life professionals are there to support them in making the most out of their campus housing experience.