When I heard that there was an opportunity to apply for certain sophomore housing early, I was eager to get a head start on the process. When I look ahead to my next year at Fairfield, dorming in a nice building with my best friends is something I am genuinely looking forward to. However, I found the process of applying to these housing programs far more stressful than anticipated, and I know I am not the only student who felt this way.
It is important to note that only a few specific sophomore dorms were accepting applications early. The Ignatian Residential College program, which takes place in Langguth Hall, had its early decision submissions due January 24th and its regular decision submissions due January 30. The Sophomores Give Back program, located in either Bowman or Meditz Hall depending on where students apply, had its early decision and regular decision submissions due on January 24 and January 29, respectively. I have heard some students note that they wish they could apply early to other dorms, or at least receive more information about the housing lottery process.
While I understand that more effort goes into applying to these special sophomore programs, as they require short essay questions, I think that Fairfield could have provided students with more sufficient information about their other options. Flyers briefly describing what these programs involve and how to apply were hung up in first-year dorm buildings, but I heard practically nothing about the other options. I didn’t even know the names of all the dorm buildings that house sophomores, all the talk is about Langguth, Bowman and Meditz.
Out of curiosity, I anonymously created a poll on the popular college social platform, Fizz, on which many students are active. I asked which dorm was a first-year’s top housing preference for next year. The poll received over 2,200 votes. 24 hours after initially posting, the results indicated that Meditz was the most popular choice, with 38% of the votes. The “other” category that I included got the second most votes, with 21% of the votes. Presumably, these students aren’t sure yet or are hoping for a dorm I did not list, such as Faber or Dulles. Bowman and Langguth fell into third and fourth place, with 17% and 13% of votes, respectively. It is important to note, however, that not every first-year answered this poll, and there is a strong possibility of other grades filling out the survey, skewing results.
While many first-years seem to prefer Meditz, a large number are opting not to join a specific sophomore program and are waiting for the standard housing lottery. Therefore, I believe that more information should be easily accessible about that process, especially as students begin to plan out the year ahead.
When it comes to the actual early application process, I have some thoughts. I personally applied to both Langguth Hall and Bowman Hall. The application forms were available online at Life@Fairfield, however, the “forms” category on the website is rather hard to navigate, and many of my friends reported having difficulty locating them. The questions for the Ignatian Residential College and Sophomores Give Back Programs were specific to each program, and I think they were perfectly fair and easy to comprehend.
One minor aspect I didn’t love was that for the Bowman application, only one person could fill out the form, despite applying as a group. I offered to submit the application for my group over winter break, which I did not mind doing at all. However, the process involved some short essay questions, and since I was not with my friends in person, it was a bit tricky to collaborate. We all ended up sharing ideas for the questions, and then I crafted the responses using all of our insight (which, again, I had no problem doing). This is just a design that is not the most convenient.
Overall, however, I would say the early housing application process for sophomore year was mostly smooth but had some stressful moments. Providing students with the opportunity to hear back about housing earlier with early applications is great, but I think information regarding all residences should be provided at an earlier date, and the forms themselves should be easier to access.
