School with Lowest Percentage accepted?

[IUHoosiergirl88]

Back to clarify what I meant! There's not a 'shortage' of off-campus housing per say, but if you're looking to room with more than 1 other person, you sign leases for houses in September/October for the next school year, nicer apartments are gone by December. There's a lot of competition, and a lot of the apartments are, for lack of a better phrase, hell holes. (Case in point: my BF's apartment has mice in the walls and cabinets right now and they won't do a thing about it. They poop on his dishes! We're buying mousetraps this week) The on-campus apartments outside of Union Street aren't places people really want to live unless it's a last resort, as they're expensive and have rather unflattering nicknames to describe the people living inside of them. Girls don't and won't go back to the dorms because there is a stigma that people who live in the dorms more than one year are socially inept, basically. Plus they're expensive and a pricey meal plan is basically required.

So in the end, girls are like well...I can move to a tiny apartment, compete for a house, or stay in my mansion where someone cooks and cleans for me. Other than seniors...it seems like a pretty obvious choice!

[AXOmom]

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88

Back to clarify what I meant! There's not a 'shortage' of off-campus housing per say, but if you're looking to room with more than 1 other person, you sign leases for houses in September/October for the next school year, nicer apartments are gone by December. There's a lot of competition, and a lot of the apartments are, for lack of a better phrase, hell holes. (Case in point: my BF's apartment has mice in the walls and cabinets right now and they won't do a thing about it. They poop on his dishes! We're buying mousetraps this week) The on-campus apartments outside of Union Street aren't places people really want to live unless it's a last resort, as they're expensive and have rather unflattering nicknames to describe the people living inside of them. Girls don't and won't go back to the dorms because there is a stigma that people who live in the dorms more than one year are socially inept, basically. Plus they're expensive and a pricey meal plan is basically required.

So in the end, girls are like well...I can move to a tiny apartment, compete for a house, or stay in my mansion where someone cooks and cleans for me. Other than seniors...it seems like a pretty obvious choice!

I don't want to come across like I'm arguing with you at all - I promise I'm not. I get that every campus culture is different and if this is how girls see it at IU - well, it is what it is. It's just that how different schools in different parts of the country do things interests me, and I can't quite wrap my head around this one.

I get not wanting to live in a hell hole, not wanting to live in the dorms more than one year (that seems to be a stigma at a lot of schools), and not wanting to pay a fortune for an apartment and the advantages to living in.

The bolded is what I don't get. If Indiana changed the system and told girls upfront that they would only be living in the house 1, 2, or 3 years (whatever they decided), so the girls knew at least a year in advance they were going to have to find other housing - what would keep them from signing leases in September/October for the next school year and getting the good apartments well before December? I
guess I'm not following the timeline here.

Also - the nicknames given to people living in some of the apartments would bother them? What sorority or fraternity hasn't been given an unflattering nickname by someone? A college junior or senior would care about that? That just kind of baffles me.

Of course, sorority women would have to tell me on this one - I don't know - all I have to go on is my daughter's feelings on the subject - but it seems to me that in terms of bonding and sisterhood, there would be a point of "diminishing returns" in that after four years of living, working and socializing with mostly the same say 100 girls you would go from sisterhood to "Get within 50 feet of me and I'm going to freakin' strangle you," pretty quick. Come to think of it - that's how I felt about my biological sister a good part of the time and there was just one of her.

Cooking and cleaning aside - personally I'd want some privacy and independence by junior year....at the latest. I guess I just can't picture that many girls doing that well together over that length of time but if IU's making it work - hats off to them.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

The bolded is what I don't get. If Indiana changed the system and told girls upfront that they would only be living in the house 1, 2, or 3 years (whatever they decided), so the girls knew at least a year in advance they were going to have to find other housing - what would keep them from signing leases in September/October for the next school year and getting the good apartments well before December? I guess I'm not following the timeline here.

In Champaign, you have to sign in Septemberish to get the best places for the following year, and we manage. Also, women with great apartments or houses will often "pass them down" to women in their chapters, i.e. recommend them to the landlord and make sure they get first shot at them.

[DubaiSis]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

Of course, sorority women would have to tell me on this one - I don't know - all I have to go on is my daughter's feelings on the subject - but it seems to me that in terms of bonding and sisterhood, there would be a point of "diminishing returns" in that after four years of living, working and socializing with mostly the same say 100 girls you would go from sisterhood to "Get within 50 feet of me and I'm going to freakin' strangle you," pretty quick. Come to think of it - that's how I felt about my biological sister a good part of the time and there was just one of her.

You are right more than you can even know. I lived in 3 years, and the last year I had a single, probably for the health and welfare of the rest of the house. I don't regret having lived in that year, and it may serve to nudge you out of the nest, as it were, but it definitely gets to be a strain.

[IUHoosiergirl88]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

Also - the nicknames given to people living in some of the apartments would bother them? What sorority or fraternity hasn't been given an unflattering nickname by someone? A college junior or senior would care about that? That just kind of baffles me.

Cooking and cleaning aside - personally I'd want some privacy and independence by junior year....at the latest. I guess I just can't picture that many girls doing that well together over that length of time but if IU's making it work - hats off to them.

Trust me, by my senior year, I was going insane. I wanted to live out just so I could cook my own meals. My house went from a 4 year to a 3 year live in policy (or until you're a senior, depending on if you rushed as a freshman or sophomore) and girls whined at first, but they're used to it now. As long as you give them advance notice...like saying that starting with the 2013-2014 school year, seniors will have to live out, I think it's fine.

In terms of the first, I guess an unflattering nickname was a poor choice of words. IU has a large Asian population, and when they move out of the dorms, they move to the on campus apartments...IU students in general thus avoid the on campus apartments like the plague. They're also extremely outdated.

[AXOmom]

Originally Posted by IUHoosiergirl88

Trust me, by my senior year, I was going insane. I wanted to live out just so I could cook my own meals. My house went from a 4 year to a 3 year live in policy (or until you're a senior, depending on if you rushed as a freshman or sophomore) and girls whined at first, but they're used to it now. As long as you give them advance notice...like saying that starting with the 2013-2014 school year, seniors will have to live out, I think it's fine.

In terms of the first, I guess an unflattering nickname was a poor choice of words. IU has a large Asian population, and when they move out of the dorms, they move to the on campus apartments...IU students in general thus avoid the on campus apartments like the plague. They're also extremely outdated.

Without knowing much about the specific culture of your school - I would agree with your first paragaph in that people as whole typically whine about changes to longstanding traditions and then adjust pretty well after the change go into effect.

As to the bolded - hmmm...I've lived in Pacific Rim states (Oregon/Washington) for 30 years now. A large percentage of our population is Asian or Asian-American and our universities reflect that. I can't say I haven't heard that sentiment but why would someone want to avoid apartments like a plague because a lot of Asian kids live there?

[MaryPoppins]

Originally Posted by AXOmom

I can't say I haven't heard that sentiment but why would someone want to avoid apartments like a plague because a lot of Asian kids live there?

Poor souls must not enjoy Asian food.