After entering the rising senior housing lottery in October, rising Villanova seniors were notified if they were assigned winning numbers last Monday, Nov. 13. While many students were happy to receive a number that grants them a housing selection time, others were left scrambling, seeking alternative housing options off campus.
Villanova guarantees housing for freshman, sophomore and junior students. Students who wish to live on campus their senior year must enter the housing lottery with their preferred roommates. Each year, a cut-off number is determined, and if a student’s number is below it, they’ll receive a housing selection time. If it is not, they are put on a waitlist.
This process has been marked with much anxiety for the junior class. While some students got lucky, others didn’t, or even worse, they did, and their roommate did not.
That was the case for junior Katie Anderson, who entered the senior housing lottery with her roommates. While Anderson did get a winning number, one of her roommates did not. Now, she must decide whether to join her roommate off campus, forgoing a chance to live in the Commons, or secure a room for those who won with her.
There seems to be no easy option. With much of the off-campus housing in the surrounding Bryn Mawr area already secured, Anderson and her roommates have had little success seeking an alternate option.
“Off-campus housing is competitive and my roommates and I have been looking for over a month with no success,” Anderson said. “We are hoping to find something in the near future.”
Many students are finding themselves in this same situation, asking, “What do we do now?”
“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” Anderson said. “My roommates and I talked about it, and we decided that I was going to stay in the housing lottery and if we can’t find any three-person apartments or houses, they will live at Props, and I’ll live on campus.”
The Villas at Bryn Mawr, referred to by most students as “Props,” is a popular off-campus housing option. Located about a mile and a half down Lancaster Ave., The Villas rents various one- and two-bedroom apartments to Villanova students. Plus, Villanova’s off-campus shuttle runs back and forth from The Villas to campus weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Although not ideal for students wishing to live on campus, the shuttle does make it easier for students to commute to campus if they do not have a car.
Access to a car does serve as a deciding factor when students are deciding to live on or off campus. While Anderson recognizes she is lucky to have her car on campus, she sympathizes with those who do not and now have to live off campus.
“I’m lucky enough to have a car on campus and I feel like students who do not should have more [housing] priority than I do,” Anderson said.
Despite the numbers being released, it seems like the senior housing lottery raises more questions than answers. In states of panic, rising seniors are frustrated with the process, wishing there was a different system for them to select housing.
“Honestly, I feel like there should be more that goes into it other than a random lottery,” Anderson said. “The whole situation seems unnecessarily stressful to me, and it splits roommates apart.”
As Thanksgiving Break begins, some juniors can relax knowing they have secured senior housing, while others may return to campus next week on the hunt for a lease off campus.
For any housing-related questions or concerns, contact [email protected].
