First year housing

Welcome Class of 2017 admits... Once you're done here, head over to the prefrosh portal.

First year housing at Columbia is assigned to incoming CC and SEAS undergraduates on the basis of indicated preferences. You need to register these preferences online here starting April 1, 2008. 75% of students get their first choice and 90% get their second choice. There are 7 options in 4 buildings:

• Carman Hall, doubles
• John Jay Hall, singles and doubles
• LLC: Hartley Hall/Wallach Hall, singles and doubles - tends to be the only dorm with students who did not choose it
• Furnald Hall, singles and doubles

If you are assigned a double, you will be assigned a roommate based on a rudimentary habit survey (are you noisy? messy? do you stay up late?) and any special requests.

Each residence hall is located directly on the main Morningside Heights campus around the South Lawn 'quadrangle' and has a distinct atmosphere with its own advantages and disadvantages. While each dorm has an overriding stereotype, they aren't necessarily entirely accurate.

First year housing is considered to be among some of the best housing available to Columbia students. Most sophomores live in mediocre doubles, and most juniors live in small but decent singles. Only by the time you become a senior will you be more or less guaranteed to get better housing than first years. However, if you are unfortunate in the housing lotteries for soph, junior and senior housing, you may never end up in as nice housing as your first year. Enjoy it while you can.