LIZZIE MCCREARY

Well, sort of. That's when the housing application period began. We all placed our names in the online hat of the housing lottery, and on Feb. 20, University Housing will pull a few names out. Those lucky students can then choose the residence hall they'd like to live in.

But if the lottery fills up before you get the chance to secure a spot - and it probably will - you'll want an alternative ready to go.

And the process for on-campus apartments is exactly the same - except that those buildings fill up fastest. If you have your heart set on a specific apartment building - good luck.

I'll be a sophomore next year and I'd like to live in an apartment-style dorm, preferably Winkler Hall. But the process has been consistently confusing. After calling University Housing half a dozen times and spending most of the past few days on the the residence hall websites, it's still difficult to determine my best option for housing.

I'm a member of the Honors College, which will be housed in the new Summit Hall next year. However, the students of the Honors College found out only recently that we'll be housed in Summit.

We were told that the decision would be made before winter break, then after winter break, then "soon."

The decision was made a little too late. I've had to prepare an alternative to honors housing already for fear of not knowing in time. Now I have to choose between the concrete, sturdy option of Summit Hall - where I have guaranteed housing - or my first choice, Winkler, where I play the game of chance with everyone else.

Students who aren't given the opportunity to have guaranteed housing through an RLC are all subjected to chancing the lottery.

I myself like to live on the edge, so I think I'll end up chancing the lottery.

It might even be exciting for me. I'll still be nervous, of course. But I believe you should always go for what you want, especially when it comes to a place where you'll live for an extended period of time. Even if it means trying to beat the system to live in my desired residence hall.

All the same, University Housing should be more prompt with its announcements. It shouldn't leave the affected students excluded from updates.

They told us as soon as the decision was made - but it took far too long to actually make that choice.

McCreary, a freshman graphic design major from Huntersville, is a senior graphic designer.