Students look forward to choosing housing

The time has come once again for students to book their accommodations at Hotel Pitt.

With… The time has come once again for students to book their accommodations at Hotel Pitt.

With numbers already issued and next year’s housing selection just around the corner – the housing application and $325 deposit are due Feb. 15 – students can only hope to secure a space in the residence hall of their choice.

Many believe that the quality of a living arrangement can make or break a school year, and for those who were unhappy with their living arrangements this year, this new cycle gives them something to look forward to.

Junior George Stamets, who spent the past semester in an apartment off-campus, found the distance frustrating.

“The two-block walk [is] challenging and tedious,” he said.

Kristen DeLucia, a freshman nursing student living in Litchfield Towers, loved living in Tower B, but not enough to come back for a second round.

“My experience has been full of camaraderie,” DeLucia said. “It’s a great location for freshmen getting acquainted with the campus and the school in general.”

Despite her praise of the Towers, DeLucia said that she’s excited at the prospect of rooming with a friend next year in either Sutherland or Pennsylvania halls.

“I think the [upper campus] dorms are so much nicer,” she said, adding that as a nursing student, proximity to the nursing school is a plus. “Also, the Pete is the best place to eat and work out, so I’d rather live closer to that.”

How confident is DeLucia that she’ll get the housing she wants?

“I’m pretty confident, only because the girl I want to room with has a good number,” she said.

Unlike Delucia, freshman Laura McGee prefers lower-campus housing.

“It’s been a good community, but … I’m looking for a single next year,” McGee, who lived in Tower B this past year, said. McGee has her sights set on Tower C or Holland Hall next year because of their central campus location.

“It makes it easier to visit friends or get food,” McGee said.

Acknowledging that she might not get her wish, McGee admits, “It seems like the Quad is one of the most popular locations, but a lot of students are moving off campus too.”

The popular Schenley Quadrangle, dubbed “The Quad,” consists of Amos, Brackenridge, Bruce, Holland and McCormick halls, and houses 1,300 of the 6,800 undergrads the University accommodates.

Considering the prospect of living off campus, McGee said, “That’s possibly for me in the future, but for now it doesn’t fit.”

Housing Services literature warns, “Your housing selection index number will serve as your individual password to log on to our selection site. For your own security, do not share this information with anyone else.”

Nevertheless, the eager question, “What’s your number?” buzzes across campus as the drawing date nears.

Even if a student receives a decent number, his or her academic class still factors into the selection process first.

Assuming that they’ve turned in their $325 deposit and their housing application by the Feb. 15 deadline, next year’s juniors get to choose their rooms online March 29, while most sophomores-to-be must wait until the following day to stake their claims.

Students of different grade levels can arrange to room together by turning their information over to the ranking member of the group, who will then log online to www.pc.pitt.edu to select the room.

While they may not get their top choice of residence halls, the lucky students with guaranteed housing are at least promised a room. Who are they? Besides the incoming freshman class, resident assistants, students with full scholarships and students with physical disabilities are also assured an on-campus accommodation.

Aside from the minor hassle of getting all the forms in on time and meeting the down-payment deadline, most students aren’t too stressed with the housing process. Nor are they worried that their preferences won’t be met.

“The system here really works. There aren’t too many problems with it,” said sophomore resident assistant Sarah Hrisak, who will be living off campus next fall.