The most infamous and dreaded event in the life of a Brown student is, by far, the housing lottery. You have absolutely no control over what will happen, and for most of us, the thought of that is truly terrifying.
Prepare yourself for drama. Friendships will be put to the test. Hours will be spent ranking buildings and analyzing floor plans to maximize square footage for rooms that won't even end up being available. And it's all for nothing because your destiny lies in the hands of a random number generator.
So this is pretty much how it all goes down.
1.First, you try figuring out how to have the best odds.
You and your friends go back and forth between whether going in with more people would give you a "more average" number or if going in with a small group is too risky. Soon you realize that you can't outthink the lottery.
2. Having to explain the housing lottery to people who were able to opt out.
Regret. Regret. Regret. Should have rushed or joined a program house.
3. With the lottery comes a ridiculous amount of added stress.
You have to deal with the drama of forming a housing group and trying to figure out if there's any possible way to cheat the system while simultaneously trying to pass all your midterms and finish that 10 page research paper due tomorrow you haven't started.
4. And then there's the seemingly never-ending state of freaking out.
All you do is worry about getting a bad number and complain that you'll have to end up living in Perkins. But at least you can seek comfort in the fact that everyone's going through it and thankfully, your friends are there to calm you down and remind you that it's all going to work out.
5. "This too shall pass."
All you can do is seek comfort in the fact that soon this will all be over, no matter what the housing gods aka ResLife decide is your destiny.
6. The classic reaction to receiving ResLife e-mails whose subject lines begin with "IMPORTANT."
And from here it can go either way:
Your heart sinks and the only words flowing through your brain are curse words. It's still not certain where you'll end up living, but with a selection time that late on the last day, what options can you really hope for?
7. Or you're among the lucky few to have gotten a great selection time.
You're super pumped because you know you're gonna get that awesome suite with your friends or that super spacious single with a prime location.
8. For the majority with decently average times, there's nothing more disappointing than logging on and seeing that your top 3 choices are no longer available.
9. In the end, no matter how crappy, small, or far away your dorm is, you'll make it a home and you'll still have your friends right there with you.
It's just a building, despite the fact that it was likely built before you were born. On the bright side, your living conditions can only get better from here. I am a firm believer that everything works out and happens for a reason.
All that's left to do now is make the best of it. That, and dealing with the pity and sympathy whenever someone asks you where you live.
Thanks for putting us through hell, ResLife. But hey, let's raise a glass cause at least it's over. And here's to all the memories yet to be made in our future homes!
