“CLINTON, NY - To the sound of chirping alarm clocks everywhere, the rising-seniors of Hamilton College awoke groggily this Sunday morning to await their turn in the most sought after competition of the year. Officially known as the ‘housing lottery,’ most students interviewed referred to the event and those in charge, Res Life, in less endearing terms, describing the lottery more as an up-hill struggle for survival…”
Hamilton College Campus Map
Yes, this morning was the annual housing lottery and thankfully, is the last one I’ll be participating in at Hamilton. Bringing finally closure to the topic of housing for next year, the housing lottery’s sole purpose is to allocate housing for upperclassmen and rising-sophomores. Each student, two weeks ago, was given a number ranging from 1 to the number of student in their class year (I personally had 253). The lower the number (1 being the best), the better off you were. Today, at the lottery, those who hadn’t yet taken part in any specialized housing lottery (such as substance-free or blocking), were able to go in order of their number and pick where they would like to live for the 2005-2006 academic year. Those abroad or unable to go were able to designate a proxy who would pick housing for them. In my case, I was Greg’s proxy and had the task of selecting housing for his number, 44.
So, just like the majority of other students this morning, I got up before 9 and headed to the barn to take part in the lottery. Originally, I had planned to live in a double with Greg in Ferguson, a nice upperclassman dorm that used to belong to the fraternity DU. On the third floor, the room would have had its own bathroom and as for doubles on this campus go, was perhaps one of the nicest. However, completely by random (as most lotteries are), we ended up in a completely different location on campus…
Next year, Greg, Grant, and myself will be living at 4002A Campus Road, marked by a [1] on the picture above. Each of us will be living in our own single and will be sharing a bathroom, kitchen, and living room. In other words, we will have our own two-story apartment to ourselves (in reality, there’s also a 4002B that has the same layout and is next door). However, as you can see, 4002A is quite far from campus (the distance between [1] and [9] is about a mile). Luckily (and as part of the agreement we made on the spot), Grant has promised us use of his car to shuttle ourselves around campus or in my case, to respond to EMT calls!
So, how do I feel about 4002A? I’m quite excited and at the same time, a bit weary. The facilities are very appealing. Instead of sharing a room, I’ll have my own single meaning that I can go to sleep when I want or do work whenever it suits me. In addition, we’ll have our own living room and kitchen so that three of us can cook, watch TV, throw parties, and generally relax in a social environment. At the same time though, we’re quite far away from campus. Friends will be dispersed in random buildings and if we want to go anywhere on campus, we’ll have to really think about it.
One thing I’ve decided though is that I’ll probably buy myself a used bike (or at the most, a cheap one). This will help during the warmer months when there’s no snow on the ground and allow me to not even question doing that that I’d like to. During winter though, we’ll be sure to stock the freezer with food as Commons [3], the nearest dining hall, is at least a good half mile away!
So, here’s to next year!
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Might be a good idea to get some skis as well!
Ah though life is good, have a great year.
Chaz on April 25th, 2005 at 12:39 pm