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The housing lottery process for first-years can seem daunting. However, as long as students are aware of some important dates and understand the four different lottery selection processes, there’s no need to worry.
Students can choose housing via one of four lottery selection processes: the co-op lottery, substance-free lottery, general lottery, and blocking lottery.
The co-op lottery is for students who wish to reside in Woollcott House; a housing option wherein residents share responsibility for meal planning.
The substance-free lottery is for students who wish to reside in designated housing where students agree to live free of alcohol and drugs. For the 2019–2020 academic year, 100 College Hill Road, Anderson Road Apartments, Kirkland, McIntosh, and the third floor of Minor are all designated as substance-free housing.
Both the co-op and substance free lotteries require pre-registration and unfortunately the deadline for both was Monday, April 8th. The co-op lottery is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 10th at 5:30 PM in the Annex and will be followed by the substance free lottery at 7:00 PM, also in the Annex.
For the Blocking and General Lotteries, each student will receive a randomly-generated lottery number. The numbers are organized by class year, with the first set of numbers assigned to rising seniors, the second set to juniors, and the third set to sophomores. The numbers will be available at 4:30 PM on Friday, April 12 and can be accessed through MyHamilton. If students have already obtained housing, their lottery numbers will be voided.
The blocking lottery is for students who wish to form a group of six and agree to live together in Babbitt, Millbank, or in the six-person apartments in Morris House. Students who wish to participate in the blocking lottery must also pre-register.
Registration sign-up begins Friday, April 12 at noon in the Office of Residential Life and ends Thursday, April 18 at noon. The blocking lottery will take place on Monday, April 22 at 6 PM in the Annex. Lottery numbers of individuals in each group will be averaged, with consideration of class year, so that each group will end up with only one number. The group with the lowest number chooses first. Those who don’t get rooms through the blocking lottery will be reinstated into the general lottery. Any blocks not chosen during the blocking lottery will become options in the general lottery as individual rooms.
For the blocking lottery, students must sign up in person with their Hamilton ID and can only sign up to be in one block. The number of members within a block can only be changed up until April 18 at noon. Students can drop out of the blocking lottery at any time, but this requires the withdrawal of the entire block from the process. During the actual lottery, the group leader serves as the proxy for the whole group. Other group members are not required to be there, but are encouraged to attend.
The general lottery encompasses all other housing options not chosen in the co-op, substance-free, and blocking lotteries, or otherwise pre-assigned. Students do not need to sign up in advance. Number calling for the general lottery will be Sunday, April 28 in Annex A & B. For the class of 2020, number calling begins promptly at 9 AM; for the class of 2021, it begins at 2:00 PM; for the class of 2022, it begins at 5:30 PM. This schedule is tentative and there may be delays.
Students have the option to utilize the pull-in process when selecting a room. This means that students can pull their friends, or be pulled in, depending on who has the best housing lottery number.
At the General Lottery, students should bring their ID cards and wait in the Barn. Numbers will be called individually; students, along with any planned roommates, must present their Hillcards at the check-in table. They will then be escorted to the Annex to view the most up-to-date floor plans. They will each receive two stickers with their name. The first sticker will be placed on the chart next to the room you select. The second sticker will be placed on a quarter sheet of paper with your room and meal plan choice. This sheet remains in the Annex and will be used to record first choices in the Office of Residential Life’s computer system. Each student receives approximately three minutes to complete this process so students should arrive at the lottery with a realistic plan of where they would like to live.
The general lottery subsumes a number of housing options including quiet housing and certain apartments (specifics regarding these options can be found in the housing lottery booklet.) If students choose a Dunham third-floor room during the general lottery, they may be required to move out at the end of the fall 2019 semester. At the start of every spring semester, a group of January admits joins the first year class on campus and will be housed on the third floor of Dunham. The Office of Residential Life will first ask for volunteers to move, but if there are not enough open rooms, others will be required to move, whether they volunteer or not. Students who move out of Dunham third floor at the end of the Fall semester will take part in the mid-year lottery to choose housing for the spring semester.
For all lotteries, students who are unable to attend can designate a proxy to act on their behalf during the actual lottery process. A proxy must be designated at least three business days before the date of their chosen lottery. A housing proxy form can be completed either at the Residential Life office or online and sent via email. The Office of Residential Life can act as your proxy, and this would need to be stated on the form.
For all housing options, the rules and expectations pertaining to your chosen living community are outlined in your housing contract and the residential life policies and procedures section of the student handbook. For further information, specifics, and housing maps, consult the residential life website, the housing lottery booklet, or contact the Office of Residential life.
