General Housing Selection Information for 2024-2025 Academic Year

The information here should answer and explain almost anything & everything you ever wanted to know about applying for theGeneral Room Selection and selecting your room for 2024-2025 academic year – including the TAPSI and Doubles applications processes.

The Williams Housing Portal (“the Portal”) is used to conduct the applications & room selections online. Not only will you apply online for a number & selection time, you’ll also select your room online from wherever you may be and on whatever connected device you’re using (though we believe a computer will work best).

It is VERY important that you pay attention to all deadlines, due dates, and schedules for the process, as well as any additional information that comes out from the Housing team. Deadlines are deadlines, and once they’ve passed, they’ve passed.

We understand that choosing your pick group and room can put a lot of pressure on you. Do your best to stay relaxed about everything, and if you have a question, contact us. We’re here to help, and we’ll respond as soon as we can. Thanks!

Important Dates & Deadlines

  • January 10: Room Selection Application Opens in the Portal for General Room Application (including TAPSI & Doubles).
  • January 19: Application Closes in the Portal at 5 PM.
    Late applications can be submitted for the General Room Selection (not TAPSI or Doubles) past the deadline until March 8, but you will receive a room selection number/time at the end of your class – and you will not be able to join a room selection group with students who submitted their application on time.
  • February 12: TAPSI Housing Accommodation Room Placement Offers sent via email
  • February 14: TAPSI Room Selection Numbers & Pick Times Conveyed in Portal
  • February 20-23: TAPSI Room Selection Timeslots Open in Portal; Room Selection Closes in Portal.
  • March 4: Housing Accommodation Room Placement Offers sent via email
  • March 20: General Room Selection Housing Points are confirmed (if not earlier)
  • March 27: General Room Selection Selection Numbers & Pick Times Conveyed in Portal
  • April 9 – 20: General Room Selection Room Selection Timeslots Open in Portal; Room Selection Closes in Portal.
    • Weekdays (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday): 4 PM – 9 PM
    • Weekends: 9 AM – 9 PM

Eligibility

Eligible Upperclass Students are those who meet ALL of the following criteria:

  • will be on campus in the fall of 2024;
  • do not have a study-away petition for the fall or full year on file with the Study Away Office as of March 1, 2024, or are indicated by the Study Away Office as being more likely to be on-campus than studying away;
  • have not yet selected or been assigned on-campus housing for 2024-2025;
  • have not signed a release to live off-campus for 2024-2025;
  • have not already received a placement through the Housing Accommodations process for the upcoming year;
  • do not have a Room Selection Hold on their record

Process Order

  • February 12: TAPSI Housing Accommodations are offered to students who meet all applicable deadlines and expectations.
  • February 20-23: TAPSI Housing Selection occurs
  • March 4: Housing Accommodations are offered to students who meet all applicable deadlines and expectations.
  • April 9-20: RGeneral Room Selection Occurs in the following order:
    • Rising Seniors Room Selection (Point Values of 3000 or more)
    • Doubles Room Selection Process (in class order: seniors, juniors, sophomores)
    • Rising Junior Room Selection Process (Point Values of 2000 – 2999)
    • Rising Sophomore Room Selection Process (Point Values of 1000-1999)

Housing Accommodations

All Williams students are expected to utilize the College’s regular housing assignment processes, and are expected to abide by all College policies and procedures having to do with housing. However, if a student has a significant diagnosis, condition, or situation that cannot be addressed via the regular processes or within College policies, they may submit a Housing Accommodations request via the Housing Portal & follow the process.

Click here for more information on Housing Accommodations.

  • You can apply as an individual or in a group of up to 6 total. After a group of students has decided to live together or an individual has decided to enter the room seelction independently, they must create and/or join a “Room Selection Group” (yes, even as an individual).

    Step 1:  Sign into the Portal when the application process is open.

    Step 2:  Go to ‘Next Academic Year’ in the menu

    Step 3: Select ‘General Room Selection (2024-2025)’ from the application options

    Step 4:  Follow the application instructions found there – make sure to go to the point where it says that your application is complete.
    Please Note: roommate group formation is often where we see applications go unfinished, due to some approvals/requests involved in the process for groups of more than 1 person. Please make sure to stay in contact with your selection group to confirm when you’re submitting forms and requests.

    Step 5: Upon successful completion, you’ll receive an automated email. If you don’t receive the email, please revisit the Housing Portal to confirm you’ve completed all portions of the application. If you have tried to complete the application and have not received a confirmation, please contact the Housing team.

    If you need to remove yourself from a group, you can do so in the Portal on the Groups page up until March 8, 2024.

    For applications submitted by January 19 at 5 PM: Changes to groups can be made to your groups up until March 8, 2023 at 5 PM with other students who completed their application on time.
    For applications after January 19 at 5 PM: Changes to groups can be made to your groups up until March 8, 2023 at 5 PM with other students who completed their application late. You will not be eligible to join a group of applicants who submitted their applications before the deadline.

  • You can apply as a group of 2, 4, or 6 people. After a group of students has decided to live together, they must create and/or join a “Room Selection Group”

    Step 1:  Sign into the Portal when the application process is open.

    Step 2:  Go to ‘Next Academic Year’ in the menu

    Step 3: Select ‘General Room Selection (2024-2025)’ from the application options

    Step 4:  Follow the application instructions found there – make sure to go to the point where it says that your application is complete.
    Please Note: roommate group formation is often where we see applications go unfinished, due to some approvals/requests involved in the process for groups of more than 1 person. Please make sure to stay in contact with your selection group to confirm when you’re submitting forms and requests.

    Step 5: Upon successful completion, you’ll receive an automated email. If you don’t receive the email, please revisit the Housing Portal to confirm you’ve completed all portions of the application. If you have tried to complete the application and have not received a confirmation, please contact the Housing team.

    Late applications will not be accepted.

    For applications submitted by January 19 at 5 PM: Changes to groups can be made to your groups up until March 8, 2023 at 5 PM with other students who completed their application on time.

  • On the day that your room selection number & pick time will be ready, Housing will email you to let you know, and you will find the following information in the Portal:

    • Your Timeslot (eastern time)
    • Your Group’s Rank
    • Number of Students with Timeslots Earlier than Yours
    • Total Number of Students in the process

    How the Selection Numbers are Determined

    Each applicant is assigned a point value –

    • 3000 points for rising seniors,
    • 2000 points for rising juniors, &
    • 1000 points for rising sophomores.

    Your class year is based on your academic standing via the Registrar’s Office. Students who are off-cycle are given the value of their original class (with a maximum of 3000). Your class year – and recorded class value will be available in the application for review.

    Housing Points
    A program was installed to allow for additional housing points within the Room Selection Process. Students who have shared a Flex Room with another student, will receive one additional housing point per day that they are roommates (based on RLH’s official records), to be used for housing selection for the next academic year. Each additional point will be added to the students’ class value (noted above).

    These additional points can only be used for housing selection for the following academic year. Once they’re used or the next academic year is upon us (whichever comes first), they go away.

    The days that will be included for accruing additional points in this pilot program:

    • Thursday, September 7, 2023, through Tuesday, December 19, 2023.
    • Wednesday, January 3, 2024, through Friday, January 26, 2024.
    • Wednesday, January 31, 2024, through Friday, March 15, 2024.
    • Monday, April 1, 2024, through Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

    Housing Points for the General Room Selection will be run as of March 8, 2024.

    Group applications receive an average point value. A group of all rising seniors will have a point value of 3000. A group of three rising seniors and a rising junior will have a point value of 2750. A group of two rising sophomores and two rising juniors will have a point value of 1500. A group of all rising sophomores will have a point value of 1000. And on and on. Higher point values will have better lottery pick numbers than lower point values. And within identical point-values, the system randomly ranks the applications.

    Please Note: The scenario above considers student point values without any added housing points.  

  • The online process via the Portal means that “Pick Times” are actually when the Portal opens for the correlating group to select a room. You can take as long as you want to finalize your assignment (until each overall process concludes) – however, the next pick group will have access to the Portal five minutes after you have access, and the next group five minutes later, and so on & so forth, and they won’t have to wait until you’re finished. So the longer you take to select, the higher the chance that the room you want may be taken by someone else.

  • Because selection is online, students can access the draw from anywhere as long as they have an internet connection – so there are no proxies, per se. If you are a member of a multi-student group, any other member of your group can select your room for you. If you are an individual entrant and absolutely cannot access the Portal at any point between your Pick Time and the conclusion of the process, contact the Housing team for assistance.

  • For students who have a petition on file to study away for the fall of 2024 or the full year 2024-2025 who have not yet heard back from their program as of March 1, 2024, the Housing team will work with the Study Away office so we can include students who are more likely to be here than they are to be away. Due to limited space on campus, exceptions will be limited and rare.

  • Doubles cannot be picked by an individual until all singles in the community (TAPSI) or across campus (General) have been filled, and only after doubles have been filled within a pick group. If you do select a flex/double as an individual, be aware that:

    • Doubles taken within a pick group will be required to be filled within one’s pick group regardless of gender – so be sure to talk that through in advance with your pick group.
    • Another student of the same gender who is choosing housing after you may take the other spot in the room.
    • After Room Selection, open spots in doubles will be listed as available for all future room selection processes for the 2024-2025 academic year.
    • Residential Life & Housing reserves the right to place another student of the same gender into the other spot in the room at any point.
    • Doubles which are chosen by only one person, will not be guaranteed as singles.

  • Flex rooms will be used as DOUBLES for the 2024-2025 academic year.

    Residential Life & Housing conducts an annual analysis of the College’s upper-division bed capacity compared to the number of students anticipated to be eligible to enter the annual general housing lottery processes for housing for the following academic year.

    Rooms designated “Flex” will be used as doubles when necessary to ensure enough beds are available for the draw and some flexibility for situations that arise requiring students to move or need a temporary housing location.

    Click here to see a list for Flex Rooms for 2024-2025

    Flex rooms will have two sets of furnishings at all times, whether being used as a single or a double for the year. Both sets of furniture must remain in the room, regardless of single/double usage.

  • Some things to think about as you prepare for housing selection.

    Who to Live With (if anyone)
    The point of pick groups is to ensure that you & your friends get to pick at the same time, although your group is allowed to split & pick into different locations if you choose to do so or when choices get slim. Although sometimes students agonize over the idea of being apart from their friends, history has shown that new friends & opportunities can arise from what may seem at first like a less-than-optimal housing situation.

    Please Note: the size of your group does not make your lottery number better or worse, nor does the timing of your application (as long as it’s submitted by the deadline).

    Where to Live

    • Floor plans & other building information can be found on the Residential Life & Housing website; they include approximate square footage per room.
    • Available Rooms – once you have received a room selection number and pick time – you can see which rooms are still available, regardless of your room selection timeslot.

    Have a good number of ideas in mind BEFORE the Portal opens for you. The most-prepared students rank-order their options in advance and simply work their way through them until they get to the best-available option.

    An Important Note about Campus Construction
    Due to on-going development and renovations to various areas of the campus, any college-owned student housing may be affected by construction/maintenance activities that result in noise, dust, detours for walking paths and/or driving, or temporary parking closures. Every student is responsible for familiarizing themselves with campus construction projects that may have an impact on their current residence or future choices. Click Here for more information.

    The following buildings will be unavailable for Upperclass Housing during the 2024-2025 academic year:

    • Fitch House
    • Lambert House

    Do Your Homework
    Even Room Selection has homework. Review the online floor plans. Take room dimensions. Figure out where the sun rises in relation to the room’s window. Pace off how many steps it takes to get to the bathroom. Determine how close in proximity you can tolerate the Lasell bells. Do what you need to do – but we strongly recommend that you do it BEFORE the Portal opens for you to select a room.

  • The Room Selection section of the Portal will open to your group as of your group’s Timeslot. Every member of the group will have access to select housing simultaneously, regardless of seniority within the group. Each group will have 5 minutes before the Portal opens for the next group. The Room Selection section of the Portal will stay open until you finalize your room selection OR the time room selection closes in the Portal, whichever comes first.

    The No Pressure Rule
    If you or your group feel pressured negatively at any point during the process, inform the Housing team. Students found to be pressuring other students may have their eligibility for room selection revoked by Residential Life & Housing (thus delaying room selection to August), and may be referred to the Dean’s Office for disciplinary action.

  • Bed spaces in double rooms will be open to all genders.

    Doubles taken within a pick group will be required to be filled within one’s pick group regardless of gender – so be sure to talk that through in advance with your pick group and plan accordingly.

  • Quiet Housing will be located in Thompson for the 2024-2025 academic year.

    All Williams’ student residences have residential community standards & expectations, including those regarding neighborly noise & sound level considerations. Quiet Housing at Williams is a residential community that thrives through a focused approach to ensuring a quieter living environment for its residents.

    By living in Thompson (Quiet Housing), students agree to (this may be expanded by Residential Life & Housing):

    • Have respect for designated quiet hours and for other residents’ need for quiet
    • Abide by quiet hours that are minimally from 10PM – 7AM (may be expanded by the community)
    • Help the House Coordinator to create and maintain additional guidelines for quiet living, along with the rest of the house community
    • Abide by any additional rules and regulations set forth in the Quiet Housing Agreement

  • Winter Break Housing will be available for the 2024-2025 academic year but will require consolidating to one (or more) buildings.

    Students who pick into Tyler House, Tyler Annex, Garfield, Horn, or East should expect to lend their rooms to students in need during Winter Break.

  • The Housing team will communicate closely with the Study Away Office regarding students who have applied to study away. Students who have an active application for Study Away as of March 1, 2024 will not be eligible for room selection.

    If the Study Away Office determines that you are more likely to be on campus than studying away, you may be allowed to participate in these room selection processes for next year’s housing. Due to limited space on campus, exceptions will be limited and rare. If your plans change later and you expect to be on-campus for the fall of 2024, you may enter the Pre-Arrival Room Selection that occurs in Augst.

  • Q:  If I submit my application earlier, do I have a better chance at a good number?
    A:  No. As long as you enter by the deadline, the system does not take the time applications were submitted into account.

    Q:  Does the size of the pick group determine the pick order?
    A:  No. Pick order is based on group average point value, then randomized within the same group average point values.

    Q:  I can’t get online right when the Portal opens for me. What do I do?
    A:  You can still select a room until the Portal closes for the selection process you’ve entered. Or, if someone else in your group is your Group Leader, you can give the Group Leader permission to select your housing for you via the Portal. If all else fails, contact the Housing team.

    Q:  I’ve already chosen/been assigned a spot in an earlier housing process. Can I still enter one of these processes to see if I can get a better spot?
    A:  No. If you’ve already selected/been assigned a spot for next year on- or off-campus, you are not eligible.

    Q:  It looks like some rooms are already taken – why?
    A:  It may be due to Resident Directors, House Coordinators, Housing Accommodations, pull-ins, and/or previous participants.

    Q:  What’s a Room Selection Hold?
    A:  Various offices on campus may place a hold on your eligibility to participate in a housing application/room draw. Student Health Services, Student Financial Services, Dean’s Office, Facilities, Campus Safety, and the Office of Campus Life all have the authority to place a hold. Typical reasons include but are not limited to: incomplete paperwork, late payments, unpaid parking tickets, disciplinary issues, etc.

    Q:  How do I know if I have a Room Selection Hold?
    A:  You’ve likely already heard from the office that placed the hold. You can also look in PeopleSoft Self-Service under Lottery Holds – click there, and if you have one, it’ll be noted there along with the name of the office(s) that has placed the hold. Also, if you have a Room Selection Hold, you will *NOT* be able to access the application.

    Q:  How do I get a Room Selection Hold released?
    A:  Contact the office that placed the hold – once they confirm with Residential Life & Housing that the situation is taken care of, the hold will be released.

    Q:  What’s the deadline to get a Room Selection Hold released so that I can participate in one of these processes?
    A:  March 8, 2024.

    Q:  If I select a room and then decide I want something else, what can I do?
    A:  Once you’ve made your room selection, that’s it until the summer.

    You have these options to make a change after the Room Selection:

    Option 1:  You may swap your room with another upperclass student during an upcoming Room Swap Process (will take place during June), provided that the student does not end up studying away or leaving the College. Notices about Room Swap Processes will be sent out via email and/or Daily Messages.

    Option 2:  Enter a room selection process (the first one is in August, the second at the end of the Fall semester). Please note: if you enter a room selection, your existing room assignment will be offered for all entrants to select from. The risk is that you may have to select a room that is less satisfactory to you than your existing assignment; however, if your existing room assignment hasn’t been selected in the Room Selection prior to your turn, you may opt to re-select it.