August might seem like a while from now, but the month of March will bring the advent of another round of housing selection for the next academic year. Already, during February, applications for medical accommodations, residential advisors, special interest housing, and the Woollcott Co-Op House have been received and are being assessed.
The next round of selection is for substance-free housing. Khuslen Tulga ’23 is the residential advisor for the first and second floors of MacIntosh, and she enjoys living in substance-free housing. She points out that the residence halls “tend to be more quiet, cleaner and less likely to bump into issues that are related to substances. I feel like the dorms attract people who are aware and willing to openly communicate ways to make the community better… sub-free is for you if you don’t want to deal with issues related to substances in your living space, and everything else is pretty much the same as every other dorm.”
Rogers Estate is substance-free and a charming, older house roughly 10 minutes away from Burke Library on foot. Resident Adeera Batlay ’25 says that the idea of living “in the middle of greenery seemed perfect for me. My favorite part about living at Rogers is definitely the sunrise, it’s the only place on campus which actually has a clear view of it, and as an early riser it’s the greatest blessing to wake up to that view every morning.” To help students manage the distance, a Jitney runs between Rogers Estate and Bristol Center during weekday mornings and nights. While Batlay really appreciates this, it still means that “coming home in the middle of the day usually isn’t possible, and walking back late at night in the winters is sometimes a bit of a bummer — but the walk…just takes a little getting used to.” For students with cars, there is a parking lot directly outside of the building. Batlay also appreciates that Rogers is one of the few residences where she can change her meal plan as a sophomore.
After the substance-free selection round on April 3, the general housing selection process will begin. This commences with the 6-person selection round on April 11, 3&4-person selection on April 18, and double/single selection April 25–27. Registration for each of these rounds will begin a couple of days prior to the actual selection, and students can enter multiple rounds. Ashley Scheichet ’25 lived in a single room in Bundy Residence Hall last semester. Bundy is widely regarded as one of the last-choice options for students due to location, but there are aspects to life down the hill that are often overlooked. Scheichet says, “I got lucky enough to have a single, which felt super spacious.” For students who will be sophomores next year or who end up receiving a later sign-up time, the advantages of getting a single can outweigh the slightly longer commute to class in the morning. Scheichet has some solutions for this, noting “I definitely made it a point to bring anything I might need for the day up the hill in the mornings because I didn’t like walking back and forth if I didn’t have a large chunk of time… Since many of my close friends lived in South [Residence Hall], I’d go there for any amount of time in between my classes or meetings.”
Students can consult the Hamilton College housing selection website for more information about how to select roommates on their housing portal and a detailed list of housing options with pictures and floorplans. For specific questions, students can contact the Residential Life office by email or drop into one of the open office sessions that will be held over Zoom later this month. Residential Life will also send out newsletters updating students about upcoming deadlines as the process continues.
