Housing Selection Returns to In-Person Format

Marist Students gathered in room in Gartland Commons. Photo courtesy of Marist College

Marist College’s Housing Selection Day will take place in-person for the first time since before the pandemic. Housing is confident that returning to an on-ground format will help ease students’ concerns and anxieties around the process.

However, because the process was done online the last two years, none of the students taking part will have experienced the on-ground format before, leaving some with questions about the process.
“It’s so much easier being on the ground and in person,” said Resident Director Kimberly Marsden ‘17, a member of the Room Selection Committee. “The entire housing department is there, and it helps air any mysteries.”

The housing selection process starts with students paying their housing deposit, ensuring them a place on campus for the upcoming academic year. After that, students form groups with fellow students they want to live with or can go as a single entity. Groups will have their total priority points averaged to create an order for housing selection day, going from highest to lowest priority points for men and women of each class year.

Housing selection is set for Tuesday, April 5 – no academic classes will be held on that day.

Only the group leaders will make their way to the event on selection day, which is currently scheduled to be in McCann but could change. Each leader will be given a time slot based on their rank in terms of priority points to show up for. Once at McCann, leaders will line up to choose their housing based on what is available.

While on line, Marsden shares that there will be plenty of eager Housing employees ready to answer questions and calm students’ nerves about not getting their first choice.

“It’s also easier for us to explain that just because housing selection day is happening, that doesn’t mean that the selection process ends that day,” said Marsden.

The simplicity of interaction when in-person makes up for what was lost while the process was done online. A necessary clarification is that housing is not finalized on selection day, and changes can be made after. 

“It helps calm some nerves to be able to explain all of that in-person instead of quickly popping in and out of a Zoom waiting room,” said Marsden.

The current seniors are the only class that has experienced housing selection in-person and can offer some insight into what to expect.

“Be prepared,” said Jack Wimmershoff ‘22. “It would be great to get your first choice, but I wouldn’t stress about it too much – just because you don’t get your number one choice doesn’t mean you won’t have a good time.”

For selection day, group leaders need to know their top three choices for residence areas and know which group members are rooming with each other. Groups should also prepare for how they would split if their whole group cannot fit into one house. After that, Housing will be ready and eager to answer any other questions students have.