For incoming college freshmen, many aspects of living on campus are unfamiliar and sometimes difficult to navigate, especially dorm life. From choosing a roommate to move-in day, there is a lot of thought that goes into where freshmen will live and how they feel about it.
Reese Billy, a freshman studying broadcast meteorology, will be living in a triple in Boyd Hall on West Green. This was not her original plan.
“I had previously selected a roommate and we really wanted to room together,” Billy said. “We both applied and got our housing very late, so we were both assigned triples.”
Billy and her roommate were unaware they could not select a dorm together because they were not contacted by Ohio University Housing and Residence Life or notified on the website.
“We called housing multiple times,” she said. “The second or third time, they said they’d figure out some way we could still room together. We didn’t hear anything for months, until my orientation, which was July 9.”
Billy said the housing situation was stressful, but she made mistakes too.
“It was really hectic, I think it definitely could’ve been handled a bit better, but I think it was a mixture of both my fault and maybe some of the OU website’s fault,” she said.
Although being separated from her original roommate was a bit of a let down, Billy believes everything will work out and is excited about her new roommates.
“I found them on Instagram and we have been talking ever since,” Billy said. “They’re very sweet.”
Sarina Choksey, a freshman studying biological sciences, will be living in Brown Hall on South Green. Similar to Billy, she found a roommate and planned to choose a double.
Due to a high demand for doubles, she had to choose a quad instead.
“I kind of prepared myself to not have high expectations because I committed so late,” Choksey said. “It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but it’s fine. We’re going to make it work, and it’ll be good.”
Despite the lack of options, Choksey said she and her roommates chose a room quickly.
“(We) got on a call together, looked through the options,” she said. “The process was pretty smooth.”
Choksey said it would be helpful to release certain amounts of each dorm style per day so the selection is a bit more fair, but she is very positive about her dorm situation.
“It’s definitely an adjustment … but I think that everyone makes it work, so I’ll be able to make it work as well, and it’ll be fun,” she said. “It’s part of the college experience, I’m excited.”
Libby Shoemaker, a freshman studying communications, did not have to rework plans unlike Billy and Choksey.
“I got lucky going into (the selection) because I planned on doing the OHIO Honors Program, so I had the option to choose Jeff,” she said.
Although Shoemaker knew she would be living in Jefferson Hall, she and her roommate still had to choose a room.
“When we were choosing where we wanted to be it was a little chaotic, because it filled up really quick,” Shoemaker said. “We thankfully got a room. We just clicked on a random one and got it.”
Although the process went well, Shoemaker would have liked for the steps to be clearer beforehand.
“I kind of wish I had more direction on how to go about selecting my room,” she said. “I went in a little blind. I was like, ‘So am I choosing my dorm at this time? What does this mean?’”
Shoemaker and her roommate met in person at an OU visitation in March. She said they talked throughout the tour, stayed in touch and later decided to be roommates.
Like Shoemaker, Billy and Choksey stayed overnight for OU orientation.
Shoemaker said she had stayed in multiple dorm style rooms throughout the years. Because of her previous experiences, she prefers living with social and adventurous people.
“I’ve heard (Jeff) is a very nice dorm, which I’m really excited about, but I was a little skeptical going into it,” she said. “I didn’t know if I would mesh with the crowd because of people telling me that it’s really chill and quiet.”
Whether a student faces housing issues or good fortune, a new Bobcat is never alone. According to OU Housing and Residence Life, multiple Bobcats will have similar experiences and concerns, but all are encouraged to “share perspectives” and “acknowledge interdependence.”
