This morning, I received a flurry of messages about this year’s housing selection. My roommate and I had written down a list of 12 rooms we wanted, and by 10 a.m., our first six choices were gone. As a rising junior with the second-earliest housing slot, I assumed we had a good chance of snagging one of our top choices, but it became very clear as the day went on that most people felt the same way—this year’s housing process was and will be chaos. 

First, housing selection usually takes place in the summer, but this year, it occurs during the last week of class. I, like many others, have conflicts with classes and assignments that make this process more stressful. My 9:15 am slot coincides with my 8:30 am class, and I am not looking forward to choosing my room for the next year while sitting in an Economics lecture. Moreover, I would either have to step out of class or miss it entirely to call my roommate in the event that the room we want is taken. 

Second, there has been discourse about seniors placing juniors into singles. Seniors chose their housing today, April 29, while juniors and sophomores will go tomorrow. In past years, it was not uncommon for juniors and seniors to form a block. However, students have taken issue  with seniors placing juniors into rooms during senior regular selection because it defeats the purpose of splitting housing selection by class year. If such a senior had an early time slot, their decision to place juniors in high-demand dorms such as Tower Court could have prevented other seniors from getting their location of choice.

In addition, having housing selection during the school year could have increased interest in creating larger housing blocks, as people can communicate in-person about their time slots and preferences. Over the summer, communication is often restricted to close friends, but now, students are able to ask around campus with the goal of joining an early-slot blocking group. Students are also able to tour their potential rooms in-person, which could increase competition for larger rooms, rooms with better views, and more. 

According to users on Sidechat, every Tower single was gone one hour after housing selection started for seniors. By the end of the first day, only 65 singles remain—most of which are in Munger and McAfee. One user even posted a screenshot from the Wellesley Facebook page, which read, “Willing to compensate $500 if a rising junior has a 9 a.m. slot.” Even students  who already have their rooms are trying to trade them on this platform.

This year’s early housing selection might be the College’s attempt to get a head start on its administrative responsibilities, but it is unclear whether negative feedback will change future procedures. Moving selection back to the summer, limiting blocking sizes or enforcing restrictions on class year selection dates could all be solutions to this problem. In any case, good luck to my fellow juniors—I hope we can all make the best of a not-so-ideal situation.