BY JACOB LACE // APRIL 4, 2016 //

To some, the start of spring means baseball, weddings, T-shirts and a cheaper heating bill. But for 18- to 22-year-olds it’s worrying about where to live on their respective college or university’s campus.

At the start of every calendar year, Curry College sends out information on the Housing Lottery that takes place at the beginning of each April. The process of Room and Board agreements and housing deposits starts as early as late January, and the department of Residence Life gathers their list of housing-eligible students to send out random lottery numbers.

Of the approximately 1,500 students living on campus, 96 percent of students who are eligible for housing participate in the lottery. 19 residence halls for a small school such as Curry seems like plenty of room for students to live, yet every student hears from their respective grape vines which dorms are better than others.

And while a previous article “How to Survive the Curry Housing Lottery” described the Housing Lottery as it pertains to a student’s point of view, there’s a side that can be told from the perspective of the director of Residence Life, Stephanie Alliette. When it comes to surviving the “Lottery Games,” Alliette knows more than a few things.

The housing checklist that is available on the Student Portal “outlines everything you need to do leading up to [lottery] selection” and is a “good point of reference” to keep yourself organized for when it comes time to pick where to live, she said. The college’s website offers useful information, too.

Alliette also noted that coming prepared with a couple of back-up plans is important in case your original wish-list of rooms get picked before it’s your turn.

Suite selection comes first, along with single-room selection, falling this year on Wednesday, April 6. The following day is general housing selection for all other student housing.

The Suites and SCRH on South Campus usually fill up immediately with upper-classmen looking to stay around each other in the apartment-style housing. Also, you’re allowed to have alcohol in your room if everyone is at least 21 years old. This leaves houses and underclassmen residence halls for the choosing.

Alliette said a common problem students face is when they don’t “do their homework” and check on their housing class standing or make sure all of their paperwork is accounted for. Making your list and checking it twice should be duly noted.

After selection is over, students can change their housing. However, the chances of having the room that they want after the process is slim.

Whether you’re a freshman worrying about where your friends are living or a junior wondering if you want an apartment or a house, getting a little help is OK. Alliette and the rest of the Residence Life staff have acquired knowledge from helping students every year; all you need to do is ask.

Being able to “live to tell a tale of how they survived the lottery” is a story that all students can brag about. The battle for places to live is indeed a battle.